Angle RNLI service is tribute to courage of lifeboat crews
The courage of all who follow the call of the sea and launch and sail lifeboats around the coast of the British Isles and beyond was remembered at a special service at Angle RNLI on Sunday (July 30).
The Sea Sunday service was conducted from the all weather Tamar class lifeboat Mark Mason, inside the Boathouse, by the Rev Mike Brotherton, the station’s Deputy Launch Authority and retired Royal Navy Chaplain.
Those attending were welcomed by Coxswain Lewis Creese and the address was given by the Rev Brotherton, who also led the prayers and gave a reading from the John Masefield poem ‘Sea Fever’.
Particularly poignant during the service was the singing of the hymns ‘Eternal Father, Strong to Save’, and ‘Will Your Anchor Hold in the Storms of Life’ as the all weather lifeboat stood ready for her next call-out and the sea lapped against the slipway.
In his address, the Rev Brotherton spoke of the bravery of all seafarers, particularly lifeboat crew members, and recalled his own experience of violent storms, both on board a coaster in the North Sea and crossing the Atlantic in HMS Marlborough, a Type 23 Duke class frigate.
He unfurled a memento of that Atlantic storm - the warship’s weather-ravaged white ensign.
To the delight of all present, particularly the children, he also produced a mascot of the fictional cartoon character Popeye to illustrate his address.
After the service, refreshments were served in the crewroom, with its spectacular views over the Milford Haven Waterway.
Note to editors
RNLI media contacts: For more information please telephone Ted Goddard, Angle RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, on 01437 763675 or Eleri Roberts, RNLI Public Relations Manager, on 01745 585162 / 07771 941390 or email [email protected].
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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