Tower RNLI Lifeboat Station welcomes The Prince and Princess of Wales

With the charity more usually associated with the coastline of the UK and Ireland, Londoners are often surprised to see the RNLI’s lifeboats launching to save lives in the heart of the city. However, in the last 24 years since the service began, the four stations have launched 20,655 times and saved 732 lives. Tower is the RNLI’s busiest lifeboat station with the crew moving into their brand-new floating base next to Waterloo Bridge in 2023.

The Royal couple arrived on station via the charity’s E class lifeboat with volunteers, RNLI Commander Storm Smith-Suckoo and Crewmember Laura Lewis, where they were welcomed by the RNLI’s Deputy Director of Lifesaving Operations Ryan Hall and Tower’s Station Manager Kevin Maynard. They enjoyed a ‘brew with the crew’, and the charity’s Occupational Health and Wellbeing Manager, Michelle Johnson, where they heard firsthand about the type of rescues undertaken along the Thames, and how the charity provides training, equipment and support to deal with challenging situations.

Kevin said: ‘Welcoming Their Royal Highnesses to our station is an incredible privilege. They heard from our crew about the work they do, both to rescue people from the Thames and to prevent people from putting themselves at risk. One of our volunteers Laura Lewis was able to share the work she has been doing with the RNLI’s Welfare team to improve care and support for our crews. I am immensely proud of all our dedicated crew.’

Following their conversations with the crew, Their Royal Highnesses met with RNLI lifeguards who will be helping to keep the public safe at The University Boat Race on the Thames next month. The Prince and Princess heard about their preparations, and how the RNLI lifeguards are celebrating their 25^th anniversary this year, having kept Britain’s beaches safe since 2001.

Kester Sheppard, Lead Lifeguard Supervisor for East Dorset, said: ‘As well as our highly visible lifesaving work on beaches, our lifeguards also travel to the Thames once a year to support The University Boat Race. They operate rescue boats along with our lifeboat crews and bring their prevention and water safety expertise to the banks of the Thames. A different operating environment offers partnership working and gives our lifeguards broader skills to take back to their coastal work when our beaches come on service for the summer.”

Whilst at station Their Royal Highnesses also met with the RNLI’s City of London Committee Vice President, Frank Moxon and Treasurer Julie Lithgow OBE.

As a charity, the RNLI is grateful for all the incredible support from our fundraisers and supporters. The fundraising activity carried out by the RNLI’s City of London Committee provides vital lifesaving funds.

Frank said: ‘I’ve been involved in fundraising for the RNLI on the Thames for many years now. I have seen the service grow and have watched with immense pride the numbers of lives saved rise year-on-year. This is only possible due to the generosity of the public, and our fundraising team works year-round to ensure that the training, equipment and accommodation for our wonderful lifeboat crews allows them to keep saving those in difficulty in and on the Thames.’

The RNLI works closely with partners such as the Ascension Trust to prevent drowning and as part of the visit, we were delighted to also introduce Their Royal Highnesses to volunteers from Bridgewatch, a partnership which provides support for vulnerable people near the water in central London.

Additional images available at following link: https://source.rnli.org.uk/share/49D46122-5F98-4163-AF2C8BB67B659DCD/

Notes to editors:

· For anyone who finds themselves or anyone else in trouble in the water please remember to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

· The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the charity that saves lives at sea and along the River Thames, with 238 lifeboat stations across the UK and Ireland, and beach lifeguards providing seasonal patrols on over 240 beaches. There are four RNLI stations on the Thames at Teddington, Chiswick, Tower (Waterloo Bridge) and Gravesend. The Thames stations are crewed by a combination of volunteers and staff who work 12-hour shifts to save lives along the river.

· Tower RNLI’s new lifeboat station, opened in 2023 and based in the heart of London, is the RNLI’s busiest lifeboat station. The crew are on the station 24/7, 365 days a year ready to respond to any incident immediately.

· The Thames lifeboat stations mark their 25^th year of saving lives along the Thames in 2027. They were set up as a result of the inquiry into the tragic events of the 1989 Marchioness disaster which recommended that London should be served by four lifeboats at intervals along the Thames which could reach any point on the river within 15 minutes.

· University Boat Race - Chiswick Lifeboat Station, has been providing rescue support for the University Boat Race since 2002. For further information on how the RNLI will be supporting the race this year with both lifeboats and lifeguards, and for interview opportunities please contact [email protected]

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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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