RNLI couple celebrate 10th wedding anniversary, on a lifeboat
A lifeboat crew couple from Wales have returned to the RNLI College in Poole where they first met, to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary.
On Saturday 4 March Wil and Sian Stockford, who were staying at the RNLI College in Poole, were invited to join a training exercise on a lifeboat in honour of their special day and their commitment to the charity. Wil, who is on the crew at Aberdovey RNLI and a mechanic for the station, said ‘The RNLI has played a huge part in both mine and Sian’s lives; it led to us getting together.’ They revisited Old Harry Rocks, where they did a lot of their training together on the crew course, and got to experience the charity’s newest all-weather lifeboat class: the Shannon.
The RNLI couple first met on a lifeboat crew course in August 2005, which Wil went on when a place came up last minute. Put in the same group, Wil (who was at the time on Barmouth RNLI’s crew) and Sian (who was on the crew at RNLI Borth) quickly found they made a good team. Wil said ‘We supported each other on the course and found we made a good team. Although, we did get a bit competitive with the exams at the end of the course: Sian got 100% and I got 98%, I’ve never lived it down!’
The couple’s connection to the RNLI runs in both their families. Wil’s grandfather was also RNLI lifeboat crew, Wil’s mum is the Lifeboat Press Officer for Barmouth RNLI, and in 1971, Wil’s dad was one of three to receive the first RNLI Silver Medal given to an inshore crew, and Sian and her mum were the first mother and daughter crew on an inshore lifeboat. Wil and Sian have two sons, Arthur (10), and Eric (7) who are both big fans of the RNLI and are members of Storm Force, the charity’s junior membership.
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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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