
Teddington RNLI Mums on Call on Mother’s Day
Three Teddington RNLI Lifeboat Station mums will spend Mother’s Day ready to dash to the rescue at any moment.
While mothers around the country look forward to a relaxing day being spoiled with maybe breakfast in bed or lunch cooked by someone else, three Teddington mums may be out on the Thames saving lives.
Sam, Claire and Jan form part of the volunteer lifeboat crew (six of whom are women) who are on 24-hour call at Teddington RNLI station every day, whether Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or even Christmas Day. This Sunday they will be ready to dash to the station, change into their dry suits and be part of the crew launching one of Teddington’s two D-class lifeboats, all within minutes of the pager alerts from the Coastguard.
Sam, the station’s only female helm (head of crew) said, ‘Like every Mum, I love Mother’s Day and spending special time with my children. It’s great to enjoy a day just for us. However, I also want to help my other ‘family’ - the RNLI and Teddington’s community. I will enjoy this Sunday with my kids, and may not be needed. However, if my pager goes off, they understand that others may need me too.’
Claire’s son Harry, aged 11 said, ‘I’m proud of my mum for volunteering for the RNLI - they help people in trouble and teach children to be safe around the water’.
Jan concluded, ‘we would also like to thank the other mothers who are part of our RNLI family – the partners of the other crew members on call on Sunday who might also be running out of the door answering their pagers’.
Ends
Notes to editors
- Teddington RNLI Lifeboat Stations one of four on the Thames and has a total team of around 45 volunteers, including fundraisers, education and water safety team.
- Like all RNLI stations, it is funded wholly by donations and receives no government support
- The station’s crew saved four lives in 2022, having been called out 106 times.
- 12% of RNLI lifeboat crews in the UK are women.
- If you are interested in volunteering with the RNLI, visit https://rnli.org/support-us/volunteer/how-you-can-volunteer
RNLI media contacts
For more information please telephone Gianna Saccomani, RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 07798 905515 or [email protected] or Paul Dunt, Regional Media Officer on 07785 296252 [email protected] or contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
RNLI online
For more information, please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the RNLI News Centre.
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 over 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and, in a normal year, 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 142,700 lives.
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.