Thanksgiving service celebrates 200 years of Lyme Regis RNLI
This morning (22 February) Lyme Regis celebrated 200 years of the RNLI in the town with a special thanksgiving service at St Michael’s Church. The service was attended by lifesaving volunteers, their families, local residents and representatives of other emergency services.
On the 22 February 1826 a letter was sent from the London headquarters of the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (later to become the RNLI) enclosing £18-4s-0d to help towards the cost of conversion of a Lyme Regis fishing boat for use as a lifeboat. This letter represents the earliest known association of Lyme Regis with the RNLI.
Exactly 200 years later, at 11am on Sunday 22nd February 2026 at St Michael’s Church in Lyme Regis, a congregation of around 150 joined the Reverend Fi Budden to celebrate the long-standing relationship between the town and the RNLI. Lifeboat volunteers, their families, supporters, other emergency services and townspeople took part in the service to recognise the close connection of the RNLI to the town, the people of Lyme Regis, harbour users and all those who work with, fundraise for and support the lifeboat. The service also remembered the many hundreds of lifesaving volunteers who have served the RNLI over two centuries as well as those who had made the ultimate sacrifice.
Representing the RNLI’s Trustees Chief Fundraising and Communications Officer Jayne George said: ‘I feel very privileged to represent the RNLI’s Trustees in celebrating 200 years of dedicated lifeboat service in Lyme Regis. Launching a lifeboat is not just about the crew on the boat. It involves their families, shore helpers, fundraisers, and the whole of the local community. All have an important part to play in supporting our charity and the important work we do. This whole community support is very evident in the thanksgiving service here today.’
Chair of Lyme Regis Lifeboat Management Group Petrina Muscroft said: ‘We are very proud to celebrate the incredible record of the RNLI in Lyme Regis with this thanksgiving service. We are also commemorating the dedication and commitment of the volunteers who have served this amazing charity over 200 years.
The thanksgiving service is the first of several events being planned to commemorate the RNLI’s 200 years in Lyme Regis. The next event will be the parade of Lyme Regis inshore lifeboat Spirit of Loch Fyne around the town on Saturday 2 May starting at 11am from the lifeboat station.
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RNLI media contacts
For more information, please contact Nick Marks, volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer at Lyme Regis Lifeboat Station on 07568 187582 or [email protected], or Emma Haines, Regional Communications Manager, on 07786 668847 or [email protected], or contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
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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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.