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Hunstanton RNLI welcomes couple visiting every lifeboat station in their Porsche

Lifeboats News Release

A couple who aim to visit every RNLI station in England in their bright orange Porsche met volunteers at Hunstanton on the Norfolk leg of their journey.

RNLI/Chris Bishop

Volunteers at Hunstanton RNLI with James and Belinda Richardson's distinctive Porsche 911
James and Belinda Richardson, from London, are set to clock up 3,500 miles as they raise funds for the charity that saves lives at sea.

Their aim is to raise £89,000 to buy a D class inshore lifeboat by 2024.

And they're well on their way to pushing the boat out, with £70,000 already in the bank.

'We started these RNLI fundraising tours back in 2018 when we visited all 238 RNLI stations in the UK and Ireland,' said Belinda.

'In successive years we have toured RNLI stations around Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland. In 2023 it is England and the Isles that we are focusing on.'

As their distinctive car pulled up outside the Hunstanton station, on Sea Lane, Belinda said she remembered it from a previous visit on their 2018 tour.

'We went upstairs, there's a desk at the window and what a view,' she said. 'I'd never get any work done if I was looking at that.'

When the Richardsons visited on Friday, 1 September, you could see their next stop Skegness across The Wash from the station ops room.

While it might have looked close, the couple faced a 70-mile trip by road around the estuary to reach it.

The Richardsons, who live in London, originally planned to tour Europe after they retired from building and interior design.

But their plans changed after they watched the TV series Saving Lives at Sea, which highlights the heroism of the RNLI's volunteers who maintain a 24/7 search and rescue watch around the coastline, 365 days a year.

'We could see a way to tour and at the same time raise money for a charity we both love,' said Belinda.

'James and I, as members of the public, are in awe of what the RNLI does.'

Crew members and volunteers were in awe of the car, a Porsche 911 in the RNLI's trademark orange, covered in branding for the charity and sponsors who have backed the trip.

Paul Stewart, one of the station's deputy launch authorities, said: 'They're doing a great job and I really admire what they're doing, trying to get to every station. It was really good to see them.'

Paul was presented with a plaque by Matthew Lockwood, centre principal at Porsche Centre Norwich, which sponsored the visit.

After Skegness, the Richardsons planned to continue north up the East Coast on their anti-clockwise circuit of the coast.

Their journey, which began at St Helier, on Jersey, on 23 August, is expected to end at the RNLI's HQ at Poole on Friday, 15 September.

To find out more or donate, go to https://rnli-911challenge.co.uk/.

Notes to editors

D class lifeboats are rigid, inflatable craft which are involved in 60 percent of the RNLI's rescues.

The 25-knot vessels are known as the charity's 'pocket rockets' by their crews, who can carry out rescues in shallow waters larger all-weather lifeboats can't reach, along with surf, close to rocks and even caves.

In over 50 years of service, they have saved thousands of lives.

Since Hunstanton's current station opened in 1979, its inshore lifeboat Spirit of West Norfolk and her predecessors have helped save 140 lives and render assistance to more than 600 people who found themselves in difficulty or in danger.

In 2003, she was joined by the hovercraft Hunstanton Flyer, which has since then been launched 250 times, saved 13 lives and assisted a further 150 people.

RNLI media contacts

For more information call Chris Bishop, Hunstanton RNLI volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer on 07584 147219 or Clare Hopps, Regional Media Officer on 07824 518641.


RNLI/Chris Bishop

Belinda and James Richardson with their Porsche at Hunstanton lifeboat station

RNLI/Chris Bishop

Matthew Lockwood (left), centre principal from Porsche Centre Norwich, with RNLI volunteers at Hunstanton Lifeboat Station

RNLI/Chris Bishop

Matthew Lockwood (left), centre principal at Porsche Centre Norwich, which sponsored the visit to Hunstanton, presents a plaque to Deputy Launch Authority Paul Stewart

RNLI/Chris Bishop

Matthew Lockwood (left), centre principal at Porsche Centre Norwich, with Belinda and James Richardson during their visit to Hunstanton RNLI

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.

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