Coxswain Graham Heritage looks back on his time on Llandudno's inshore lifeboat

During those thirty years he was directly involved in rescuing hundreds of people and saving several dozen lives, undertaking a variety of different roles including that of Helm of the station’s inshore lifeboats.

While he will continue to perform his key role as Coxswain of the station’s all-weather lifeboat William F Yates, he is now withdrawing from service as a Helm of the station’s inshore lifeboat Dr Barbara Saunderson.

Commenting on reaching the age limit for service in the station’s smaller lifeboat Graham said “I look back fondly on my time in these smaller lifeboats. When I first served on them in the late 1980’s, they enabled us to launch on service more quickly and to reach casualties far more speedily than the all-weather lifeboats of the day. I will continue to be Coxswain of the all-weather lifeboat and will still see plenty of the inshore lifeboat at sea as it often works closely with the larger lifeboat, particularly during searches.”

Graham’s father, Dennis, was a member of the lifeboat crew for many years and Graham’s middle son, Luke, is now both a Helm of the Inshore lifeboat and an Assistant Mechanic of the all-weather lifeboat, carrying on a family tradition.

Notes to editors

RNLI media contacts:

For more information please contact Jonathan Coe, Llandudno Lifeboat Press Officer on 07910 861193. Alternatively contact Eleri Roberts, RNLI Media Officer on 01745 585162 / 07771 941390 or email [email protected].

RNLI online

For more information on the RNLI please visit www.rnli.org.uk. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI Press Centre www.rnli.org.uk/press

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.