Staithes & Runswick shore crew member stands down after 18 years
Chris Wilson will this year stand down from his position at Staithes and Runswick Lifeboat Station after eighteen years as Tractor Driver and Mechanic.
Chris has launched the RNLI Atlantic Class lifeboats from Staithes on 146 occasions to both service 'shouts' and training exercises. Chris has also been instrumental in mentoring the next generation of volunteer Tractor Drivers and Mechanics at Staithes. His son Adam also serves on the RNLI lifeboat at Cowes.
RNLI Lifeboat service is no small part of this family. Liz Wilson, Chris’s wife is a crew member with Staithes & Runswick lifeboat, while her late father Willie Wright and his brother James (awarded a long service medal) were volunteer crew on the RNLI Runswick Lifeboat between 1961 and 1978 - the lifeboat then being stationed at the village of Runswick Bay.
Willie Wright was at sea with the RNLI Runswick boat the evening Liz was born. Willie's name is one of those featured within the identification numbers on the hull of the Invergordon Shannon Class RNLI Lifeboat.
Sean Baxter, DLA at Staithes & Runswick Lifeboat, said: 'The entire management team and crew would like to thank Chris for his continued and diligent service with Staithes & Runswick Lifeboat. Remote coastal villages such as Staithes rely on the likes of Chris and his family to underpin an ever-ready team of volunteers prepared to react to emergency situations along our coastline.'
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.
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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
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