Bridlington RNLI volunteer stands down after more than 20 years of saving lives
Ad Trower started volunteering for Bridlington Lifeboat Station in 1998 following a chance encounter in his early twenties.
After walking down to the local fire station to see if there was any work available, Ad met Joe Jagger, a crew member who introduced him to the rest of the lifeboat crew, and there his lifesaving volunteer work began. ‘I wasn’t really interested in what my friends were doing at the time, so I decided to knock on the door of the fire station to see if there was any work going. I was a little downcast when they told me that there wasn’t, but after meeting Joe that day I decided I wanted to join the lifeboat crew.’
Since that day, he has taken part in countless exercises, rescues and operations not just in the local area, but also nationally and internationally as part of his work with the RNLI Flood Rescue Team. Ad was part of the Flood Rescue Team for more than fifteen years, a branch of the RNLI that is deployed to flood-hit areas to provide lifesaving assistance. Ad reached the level of Team Leader and Boat Leader and even travelled to North Carolina in the USA alongside the International Flood Rescue Team.
Ad has also been the Senior Helm for Bridlington inshore lifeboat for over nine years and in 2006 received The Thanks Of The Institution Inscribed in Vellum from the RNLI. The vellum is an award given to volunteer crew members for notable acts. Ad was awarded the vellum after his efforts in extracting a casualty from the water off Bridlington’s North Promenade in horrendous conditions.
After countless call-outs resulting in missed Sunday lunches, disrupted birthday parties and even attending shouts on Christmas Day, Ad has decided to stand down from his role in the RNLI, ‘I feel like this is the right time for me, I want to spend more time with my wife and young boy but I’m looking forward to seeing some of the younger volunteers at the station follow in my footsteps.’
Ad’s final exercise on the inshore lifeboat was on Sunday morning and Bridlington Lifeboat Chairman Dave Garnett offered his thanks on behalf of the station: ‘It’s always sad to see a senior crew member like Ad leave us, but his commitment and contribution to the community of Bridlington is hugely appreciated and we hope that he enjoys some well-earned time with his young family.’
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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.
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