Lyme Regis RNLI Lifeboat Week gets off to a scorching start
Lifeboat Week in Lyme Regis got off to a scorching start yesterday as thousands packed the town and the beaches in the summer sunshine.
Star attractions included a visit by actor John Challis - Boycie in Only Fools and Horses - and a welcome exercise by the lifeboat volunteer crews of Lyme Regis and Exmouth with the coastguard helicopter from St. Athan.
John Challis officially launched the week in front of a big audience at the lifeboat station and then signed autographs, posed for selfies, and sold and signed dozens of copies of his autobiography as fans queued to meet him on Marine Parade.
A model boat exhibition and belly dancing were also on the first day's agenda.
Later this week there's a visit by the Army's Red Devils parachute display team, the bathtub race and tug 'o war across the harbour mouth...a total of 72 events.
The week regularly raises £35,000 for the RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea.
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.