Thanksgiving service to celebrate 200 years of Lyme Regis RNLI

On the 22nd of 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 conversion of a Lyme Regis fishing boat for use as a lifeboat. The letter also asks that: ‘Air-tight boxes should be fitted into the stern of the boat, with cork being fixed along the top of the outside of the boat to act as a fender.’ 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, RNLI volunteers will be attending a special thanksgiving service at which they will celebrate 200 years of RNLI presence in the town, the 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 will also remember the many hundreds of lifesaving volunteers who have served the RNLI over two centuries.

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 will also be commemorating the dedication and commitment of the volunteers who have served this amazing charity over 200 years. We hope that many local people will be able to join us at St Michael’s on this memorable occasion.’

The thanksgiving service is the first of a number of events being planned to commemorate the RNLI’s 200 years in Lyme Regis. Details of further events will be published once they are finalised.

Ends

Notes to editors

Photo1 Caption: Lyme Regis RNLI Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Spirit of Loch Fyne at sea. Photo credit: RNLI/Nick Marks

Photo2 Caption: Commemorative crest reflecting the RNLI with the town of Lyme Regis. Credit: RNLI/Nick Marks

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.