Brighton RNLI volunteer celebrates 100 lifeboat call-outs

Christopher Townley joined Brighton Lifeboat Station in January 2021 as a volunteer launch authority before becoming a lifeboat crew member in 2023.

Just over three years later, he has responded to 100 emergency call-outs, spent nearly 15 full days at sea and taken part in 240 launches, including training exercises.

Chris, who moved to Brighton shortly before joining the RNLI, initially signed up to meet people and give something back to his new community.

He said: 'I had moved to Brighton not long before and was looking to make friends and do some volunteering, and it felt right that it should be something to do with the sea, given where I now live.

'It really is a wonderful place to volunteer. The crew come from all sorts of backgrounds, people I would not normally have any chance to spend time with, and that is a large part of the pleasure of it.'

Chris has kept a personal notebook documenting every call-out since joining the crew, recording the conditions, people involved and lessons learned.

Reflecting on his milestone, he said: 'Knowing that across those shouts I have helped 65 people, been part of a crew that saved 12 lives, and spent nearly 15 full days at sea does make me proud.

'I feel very lucky that the RNLI exists to take someone like me, with no prior boating knowledge at all, and support him to learn, to help others, and to be part of such a good team.'

Charlie Dannreuther, Brighton RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, said: 'Chris was a core member of the team at Brighton Lifeboat Station long before his 100th shout.

'Serving in both operational and crew roles, he has made a huge contribution to the safety of everyone who uses the beaches and seas around Brighton.

'Chris's example represents the best of the RNLI and reminds us that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.'

One rescue that has stayed with Chris happened on 7 July 2023, the day of his first call-out, when he responded to four incidents in a single day.

At 9.42pm, Brighton's volunteer crew were tasked to two people in the water west of Brighton Marina.

The crew spotted an empty inflatable being blown across the sea and followed its path back to locate two men in the water.

Both were cold and struggling, and the crew later discovered that both men had significant sight loss.

They had been carried offshore by the wind before their inflatable capsized. Although both were competent swimmers, neither could see which direction would take them back to safety.

The crew brought them safely aboard and returned them to the lifeboat station, where they were given hot showers and refreshments.

Chris said: 'I went home feeling that I had just understood something about the job that no amount of training had taught me.'

Not every call-out has a happy ending, and Chris says the difficult incidents underline the importance of the RNLI's welfare support for its volunteers.

He said: 'The hardest moments are the ones with no good outcome available: the searches where you find nobody, and the times when what you recover is a body. Those stay with you, and they are the reason the RNLI's welfare support matters as much as the kit does.

'The most rewarding are quieter than people imagine. Getting four cold, frightened people back onto a pontoon. Two men who could not see the shore sitting in our station with hot showers and tea. Reuniting a drowning kid with his mother and friends.'

Chris also highlighted the important role played by families and loved ones who support RNLI volunteers.

His wife, Inma, has become accustomed to the interruptions when his pager sounds, while their two-year-old Newfoundland dog, Oso, has learned that a call-out means Chris is heading out without him.

Chris said: 'What I think is often forgotten is the effect on our families and friends.

'My wonderful wife, Inma, is not part of the lifeboat team, and so she gets none of what makes it sustaining: not the training, not the friendships, not the buzz of anticipation, not the moments of real beauty on the boat.

'What she gets is the interruption, or the expectation of one, in the middle of dinner or a walk; the worry while I am out, not knowing how it is going.

'She is proud of what I do. But hers is a real sacrifice, without the rush and the fun that go with mine, and I am very grateful that she supports me in this adventure.'

Away from the lifeboat station, Oso is also learning water rescue skills, training alongside other Newfoundland dogs to help pull people and boats to shore.

Reflecting on his milestone, Chris hopes his experience will encourage others to consider volunteering with the RNLI, whether on the lifeboat or in one of the many roles supporting the charity.

He said: 'I think people also underestimate how many volunteers it takes to put one lifeboat on the water. Crew are the visible part, but there are shore crew, launch authorities, fundraisers, shop volunteers, trainers, water safety volunteers and the people who look after the station itself.

'And the whole thing runs on donations.'

His advice to anyone considering volunteering is simple.

'Do it. And if you think you are not the type, I had never set foot on a boat before I started, you are very probably exactly the type.

'There is a job at the station for almost anyone willing to turn up regularly, and not all of them are afloat.'

RNLI Media Contacts

Lottie Ikonen, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for RNLI South East, [email protected]

Stella Sims, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for London and South East England, 07483 316675, [email protected]

Sam Haddad, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for London and South East England, 01202 137713, [email protected]

Julie Rainey, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for London and South East England, 07827 358256, [email protected]

RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789, [email protected]

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

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