Family of long serving volunteer visit Swanage Lifeboat Station to donate £2600

Joan’s daughter Sally Wilkinson, and Joan’s niece Jill Rogerson presented two cheques totalling £2600 to our Coxswain Dave Turnbull in memory of Joan who passed away aged 101.

Dave Turnbull said, ‘it was amazing to receive such as significant donation from the family and friends of Joan. It was clear that Joan’s passion and support for the RNLI had extended to her family, and it was inspiring to learn about all Joan’s work as part of an inland committee raising awareness and valuable funds for the RNLI.’

Joan was born in Melbourn, near Cambridge, but when she retired in 1990, she settled in Harpenden to be nearer to family. It was here that she joined the local RNLI fundraising committee, taking part in annual street collections and helping to count the collections at the end of a fortnight of fundraising. One of the years that Joan volunteered at Harpenden the committee was recognised as the highest fundraising inland branch in the country. The volunteers at Harpenden were invited to the RNLI headquarters in Poole to be recognised for their tremendous efforts, receiving the RNLI Bronze Badge.

During the second world war Joan applied and was accepted to join the Women’s Royal Naval Service. After initially being no vacancies, she received a call up telegram to become a Meteoritical Wren in Greenwich which she accepted. This naval service may well have started Joan’s maritime interest and led to one of the reasons for her volunteering for the RNLI.

Through friends Joan was introduced to Swanage, spending time staying at Ballard Lee and sailing in the bay. Joan regularly visited Swanage with her family and in more recent years celebrated her 90^th birthday here. With so many fond memories of Swanage and affiliation with the RNLI it was Joan’s wish for donations to be made to the lifeboat station. This generous donation will help ensure that Swanage Lifeboat Station remains operational, ready at a moment’s notice to help those in trouble at sea when the pager sounds.

Notes to Editors

• Photograph of Sally Wilkinson (L) and Jill Rogerson (R) present cheques to Coxswain Dave Turnbull. Credit Roydon Woodford (RNLI)

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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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