55 years or 20,075 days of supporting the RNLI with fund-raising at Rye Harbour

She comes from a family of RNLI folk: her mother’s father and one brother were in the crew. Her mother was part of a team that ran from the harbour to the old boathouse, a mile and a half away over rough terrain, to help launch the lifeboat.

After the disaster of 1928 the Harbour did not get a lifeboat back till 1966.Betty’s husband Terry was one of the first to volunteer to be part of the new crew of volunteers. This was the start too of Betty’s amazing dedication to fund-raising. Everyone loves Betty and she has this wonderful calmness about her and a true generosity. The first fundraisers were a group of wives of the crew and were called ‘The Lifeboat Ladies.’ One of the first things they did was to raise money for the crew’s wellies and later, anything that the crew required. After a few years the little group disbanded but Betty stayed on as part of the national fundraisers.

Betty recalls those early days when she was a mother of two young children and used to panic when she heard the maroon go off because she was worried about her husband Terry going out in stormy seas. The boat in those days was much smaller than today’s boats and no so well equipped. Betty’s son-in-law Keith was part of the station and her grandson, Jai, joined the RNLI when he was 17 and is now full-time crew at Tower boat station on the Thames.

Betty said, ‘I couldn’t be more proud of all my family who have been involved with the RNLI and lifeboats are certainly in our family’s blood.’ Her family and the villagers are in their turn so very proud of her.

In 2014 Betty was honoured by the RNLI for her efforts in fundraising and was invited to the Barbican to receive a gold badge for all the years of dedication.

This year marks Betty’s involvement for 55 years and also her 90^th birthday and she has decided to stand down and take retirement although she will carry on taking a great interest in all that the fundraisers do in the future. The station is SO proud of her that Mark Stephenson, Head of Fundraising at the station, has given her a very important role, that of President of all the Fundraisers at the Harbour. So, although she won’t be ‘hands on’, she will be part of the team who will carry on her amazing work.

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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

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.