HRH The Duke of Kent visits Appledore RNLI to mark station’s 200th anniversary

On 28 February 1825, Appledore RNLI received the very first RNLI commissioned working lifeboat within the service, which was founded the year before. Called Lifeboat No.1 The Volunteer, she went on to save 80 lives during her time at Appledore and began the lifeboat station’s 200-year history of unstinting voluntary service to save lives at sea on the North Devon coast.

HRH The Duke of Kent was accompanied by the Lord-Lieutenant of Devon, David Fursdon, and welcomed to the station by Appledore’s volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager Bob Meller, Coxswain Simon McCarthy and Senior Station Technician Mark Williams, alongside Area Operations Manager Phil Hill and the charity’s Chief Executive Peter Sparkes.

Meeting operational crew as well Appledore’s fundraising, shop, and water safety volunteers, The Duke heard about their roles and the commitment they give to the charity that saves lives at sea. RNLI lifeguards who provide safety patrols on nearby beaches like Croyde and Westward Ho! were also represented and talked to His Royal Highness about their roles on North Devon’s busy coastline.

Those who met The Duke included Martin Cox, who retired in April this year after 45 years on the crew, with the last 20 as full-time Coxswain. Martin comes from a family of lifesavers – his father, Des Cox, was the station Coxswain for 24 years from 1970-94, following on from his own father who was also on the lifeboats. Between 1999 and April 2025, Martin was involved in rescuing 700 people in difficulty at sea. Martin was presented with his long service certificate by The Duke during the visit.

Martin Cox said: ‘It was a real honour to meet The Duke who came to the station to hear about 200 years of service from Appledore RNLI. It came out of the blue to be personally presented with my service certificate. I felt truly humbled’.

During a visit to the lifeboat station, RNLI Chief Executive, Peter Sparkes, congratulated the station on a special year of celebration and their incredible commitment to the charity and invited The Duke to cut a beautifully decorated anniversary cake.

Peter Sparkes said: ‘Appledore RNLI has a notable lifesaving history. Over the past 200 years, the station has operated 18 lifeboats of various classes and has launched on service 2,848 times and saved 673 lives; that is a remarkable number of people who have been reunited with their families thanks to the selflessness, kindness and courage of Appledore lifeboat crew.

‘I am most grateful to our President for taking the time to recognise this extraordinary heritage in Appledore’s 200^th anniversary year and meet with so many of the station’s volunteers and staff.’

The Duke watched on as the station’s Atlantic 85 class lifeboat, Glanely, was launched from the slipway into the harbour where the crew demonstrated its capabilities to His Royal Highness.

The visit concluded with The Duke presenting a special certificate to the station to commemorate His Royal Highness’ visit during their 200^th anniversary year. Coxswain Simon McCarthy presented His Royal Highness with a framed 200^th anniversary picture signed by the crew.

Bob Meller, Lifeboat Operations Manager reflected on the visit: ‘It was great to welcome the charity’s President to the station and introduce The Duke to the wide and varied volunteers we have within Appledore RNLI, who all play their part in keeping the station, and charity, afloat in the community. We are one big team, one crew, and a visit like this brings everyone even closer together.

‘It was especially important for the station that we could welcome His Royal Highness to Appledore during our 200^th anniversary year. It’s been a busy one, not only with a variety of station and community events to mark the historic occasion, but also with a significantly higher number of emergency shouts than normal. The Royal visit has been a real highlight as we look towards the end of this special year.’

HRH The Duke of Kent has been President of the RNLI since 1969.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.

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