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Cromer RNLI celebrates the Centenary of boathouse and slipway with a splash!

Lifeboats News Release

On 26 July, Cromer RNLI celebrated the 100 year anniversary of the construction of a lifeboat house and slipway at the end of Cromer Pier.

Cromer RNLI boathouse and slipway

RNLI/Darre Wynne

Cromer RNLI boathouse and slipway
Cromer RNLI has thanked everyone who attended the Centenary exhibition and commemorative launch of its Tamar Class all-weather lifeboat - Lester.

It was a fantastic opportunity for the volunteer visits teams to meet and and chat to supporters and share this historic event.

Cromer’s history is intrinsically linked to its lifeboats that have been operated from Cromer for two centuries, and by the RNLI since 1857. Cromer Pier is a famous landmark and in celebrating the Centenary of the boathouse and slipway at the end of the Pier - it also shines a light on the incredible volunteers, and their gallantry both past and present.

The exhibition was the idea of one of the volunteers in the visit team, Neil, and together with a fellow volunteer, Jane they curated the celebration.

Neil said: ‘I am fascinated by the history of lifeboats at Cromer, which of course have been here since 1804. When we do tours of the station, we tell people about the boathouse and slipway being built in 1923, and I suddenly thought a couple of months ago that this was something worthy of celebration. The idea was to mark the occasion with an exhibition to showcase the last 100 years primarily with photographs marking events like the deliberate blowing up of part of the Pier in WW2 through to some of the most remarkable lifesaving launches involving Henry Blogg.’

Jane said: 'The volunteer visits team welcome thousands of people each year to visit the station and learn about the amazing work of our charity and its volunteers. I thought Neil’s idea to celebrate our 100 years on Cromer Pier was absolutely fantastic.

'I’m so proud of all of our volunteer team who have given up their time to set up the exhibition and be available to meet our visitors to tell them more about the station and what has happened in the last hundred years, and to our crew for marking the occasion with a commemorative launch of our Tamar Class and Y-class.’

To further demonstrate how 100 years on Cromer RNLI are still answering the call, following the launch the Coastguard tasked Lester following a report of a person in difficulty in the water. After searching for just under an hour, they were stood down as it transpired it was a false alarm with good intent.

The exhibition runs daily until 1 August 10am to 4pm daily.

RNLI Media contacts

For more information please contact Clare Stagg, RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer: [email protected]

Key facts about Cromer RNLI

The Cromer Lifeboat Station was established in 1804 and was not taken over by the Institution from the Norfolk Shipwreck Association until 1857. Since 1923 there have been two lifeboats at Cromer, and currently there is a D Class inshore boat and Tamar all-weather lifeboat. The outstanding figure in the history of Cromer is Henry George Blogg who became a member of the Cromer crew in 1894 at the age of 18. He was coxswain from 1909-1947. During his 53 years as a lifeboat crew member, the Cromer lifeboats had been on service 387 times and rescued 873 lives. His record is without equal in the history of the Institution. No lifeboat crew member has received so many decorations for gallantry.

cromer RNLI Tamar Class Lester launching to commemorate the centenary of the slipway

RNLI/Darren Wynne

Cromer RNLI Tamar Class Lester launching to commemorate the centenary of the slipway
cromer RNLI Tamar Class Lester launching to commemorate the centenary of the slipway

RNLI/Darren Wynne

Cromer RNLI Tamar Class Lester launching to commemorate the centenary of the slipway
cromer RNLI Tamar Class Lester launching to commemorate the centenary of the slipway

RNLI/Darren Wynne

Cromer RNLI Tamar Class Lester launching to commemorate the centenary of the slipway
cromer RNLI Tamar Class Lester launching to commemorate the centenary of the slipway

RNLI/Darren Wynne

Cromer RNLI Tamar Class Lester launching to commemorate the centenary of the slipway

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, 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 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.