Pebble Painting at RNLI Support Centre for Rye Harbour Mary Stanford memorial
This project is reaching its climax and has involved many parts of the community in Sussex and Kent.
The RNLI is a large family of like-minded people and the Support Centre in Poole asked to be involved to honour the gallant crew who lost their lives in 1928. There is a memorial at the Support Centre which is a tribute to all the lifeboat men who have lost their lives from all the lifeboat stations around the country.
Pebble workshops took place throughout the day drawing in people from all departments including Engineering, Reception, Events, Media and many more. There was a creative hush as people really concentrated on their designs. The end results were really creative and colourful and will be a great addition to the pebble memorial.
The Heritage Department provided a very interesting display of old photographs, newspapers of the day and documents. This was very popular and everyone took a great interest and learnt about the history behind the story. It is important that these documents are shared and studied by a wider audience and not just held in the archives. It worked really well and gave a solemnity to the day.
Mark Dowie, RNLI CEO, who painted one of the pebbles, said, “It was a privilege for staff at the RNLI Support Centre to be able to contribute to the Rye Harbour memorial. I greatly enjoyed painting my own pebble and the overall result will be a colourful and creative way of remembering great sacrifice. I look forward to being with the Rye Harbour RNLI volunteers when the memorial is unveiled in November. Thank you to everyone involved!”
RNLI Media contacts
• Kt Bruce, Rye Harbour RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer 07789 818878 k[email protected]
• Paul Dunt, Regional Media Officer (South East), 0207 6207426, 07785 296252 [email protected]
• For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789
RNLI online: For more information on the RNLI please visit http://www.rnli.org/. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre.
Key facts about the RNLI
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is the charity that saves lives at sea. Our volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service in the United Kingdom and Ireland from 237 lifeboat stations, including four along the River Thames and inland lifeboat stations at Loch Ness, Lough Derg, Enniskillen and Lough Ree. Additionally the RNLI has more than 1,000 lifeguards on over 180 beaches around the UK and operates a specialist flood rescue team, which can respond anywhere across the UK and Ireland when inland flooding puts lives at risk.
The RNLI relies on public donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. As a charity it is separate from, but works alongside, government-controlled and funded coastguard services. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824 our lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved at least 140,000 lives. Volunteers make up 95% of the charity, including 4,600 volunteer lifeboat crew members and 3,000 volunteer shore crew. Additionally, tens of thousands of other dedicated volunteers raise funds and awareness, give safety advice, and help in our museums, shops and offices.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter 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 or by email.
The RNLI is a charity registered in England and Wales (209603) and Scotland (SC037736). Charity number 20003326 in the Republic of Ireland.
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.