Love is ..... a wedding proposal on a lifeboat
‘I looked up to see Mark on bended knee with a diamond ring in his hand’
Love is in the air on The Mumbles lifeboat. Crew member Mark Jones was giving his girlfriend Donna Collier a guided tour of the Tamar Class lifeboat just before he went on his weekly exercise. Donna looked up to see Mark on blended knee proposing marriage.
‘Thankfully she said yes’ said Mark. ‘We’ve been together 13 years and I thought it was time we made it official’.
Mark is a lifeguard supervisor at the National Pool in his full time job when he’s not volunteering on the lifeboat’.
Lifeboat Operations Manager Tim Conway said ‘So close to Valentines day its a touching story, I’m not sure if he’s asked but we haven’t checked yet to see if the Coxswain is able to perform wedding ceremonies on the boat.
We never take for granted the commitment from our volunteer crew and the time they spend away from their families so it was great to be able to witness this moment for the lifeboat family at the station’.
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.