Des went the distance for Exmouth RNLI
Veteran long distance runner and Exmouth RNLI volunteer, Des White has raised £776.25 by running this year’s London Marathon in aid of the local lifesaving charity.
Des, a volunteer Tour Guide at the station, ran the London Marathon, his 42nd marathon event, on 28th April this year. He completed the gruelling 26.2 mile course in an excellent time of 4 hours and 13 minutes.
He said ‘I enjoy my work as a volunteer Guide at the lifeboat station, I’m a member of Exmouth Harriers and I pass it most days on training runs, so to raise funds for Exmouth RNLI seemed the obvious choice. I’d like to offer my sincere thanks to all those who encouraged and sponsored me so I could raise these important funds for the lifesaving charity’.
Among his incredible marathon achievements, Des, whose first marathon was in 1980 and who was 65 in February, has successfully run 17 London Marathons, 3 in New York and was the winner of the New Forest race in 1986. His best time is 2 hours 26 minutes set in the 1987 London Marathon.
Exmouth Lifeboat Operations Manager, Mike Gall, said “This was a truly remarkable achievement by Des. Everyone at the lifeboat station is grateful to Des for going the extra mile to raise funds for our local lifesaving charity and I would like to publicly thank him for his outstanding effort.’
Exmouth RNLI Lifeboats Visits Officer, Bill Lodge, said “On behalf of all of our volunteer Tour Guides at the station, I’d like to express our sincere gratitude to Des for his incredible effort and for raising this significant sum for Exmouth RNLI.”
Exmouth RNLI welcomes visitors to its lifeboat station in Queens Drive, Exmouth, where they can view both the inshore D class lifeboat
George Bearman II and the new Shannon class lifeboat R and J Welburn as well as the modern station facilities and crew equipment.
A group of dedicated and knowledgeable volunteer Tour Guides provide free tours of the establishment that last about 30 minutes and take place at weekends between 10:00am and 4:00pm until the end of October, and 11:00am to 3:00pm during the winter. Additional tours may take place on weekdays, especially during school holidays and some evening tours are available.
A full schedule of visits and tours to the lifeboat station can be obtained from the station shop that is currently open daily from 10am to 5pm.
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.