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Marking our 200th anniversary with services of thanksgiving

Find out about the services taking place to commemorate our anniversary.

A collection of images including an oil painting of Sir William Hillary, a group of RNLI lifesavers on a rescue and an RNLI lifeguard on the beach at sunset with children running on the sand

Photo: RNLI

On Monday 4 March 2024, at 11.30, it will have been exactly 200 years since over 30 people put their names to a fledgling National Service that would save lives at sea.

200 years later, representatives from across our charity will gather at Westminster Abbey to hold a service of thanksgiving that will commemorate 200 years of the RNLI's lifesaving work.

The guests at this service will be a mixture of volunteers and staff from all areas of the RNLI including lifeboat stations, lifeguards, water safety, and fundraising, alongside donors, partners, a number of VIPs and dignitaries. The guestlist for the event has been agreed and all those attending have now received their invitation.

The service starts at 11.30 and will last approximately 45 minutes. The entire service will be live-streamed. We will share the link to watch the live-stream several days before the service. The recording can be accessed using that link until Monday 18 March. Wherever you are, you will be able to watch this historic moment.

Along with Westminster, there are other regional services of special commemoration taking place in locations including Glasgow, York and Llandaff.

The Glasgow service will take place at Glasgow Cathedral on Sunday 10 March at 11am. The service is open to RNLI volunteers, staff, supporters and members of the public. The service will also be live-streamed via the Glasgow Cathedral website.

York Minster will be running a service of thanksgiving for the RNLI on Saturday 20 April. Like the Westminster service, this is an invite-only event and will have representatives in attendance from all areas of the RNLI, alongside donors and VIPs. The last time a significant event like this took place at the Minster was to commemorate the RNLI’s 175th Anniversary on Sunday 7 March 1999.

Llandaff Cathedral is hosting a service of thanksgiving for the RNLI which will take place on Saturday 27 April. This event, which will also be attended by an agreed list of representatives from across our charity's volunteers, staff and donors, has been organised for communities within Wales to come together and collectively mark this significant milestone in the history of the RNLI. Led by our volunteers, we want this service to commemorate the courage and dedication of 200 years of lifesaving and inspire future generations to continue working with us to save every one.

There are more planned services taking place across RNLI regions including events at St Magnus Cathedral in Orkney and Norwich Cathedral. Each service has been designed to commemorate those who have gone before us, celebrate our incredible lifesavers and inspire the next generation.

If you would like to host your own service of thanksgiving in honour of the RNLI's 200th anniversary, there is a service template available to download. Robert Townsend, a volunteer at Criccieth RNLI and the Archdeacon of Meirionnydd, has created a template order of service which is also available to download and use for your commemorative service.