#OneCrew in Action: Inclusive College tours

In our ‘#OneCrew in Action’ series, we are sharing stories from across the RNLI about how people have made changes, taken new approaches or considered how they can promote and support inclusion.

We are kicking off again in the new year by sharing an inclusive approach developed by one of our College tour guides.

Stuart Lindsay has created a highlights tour of the RNLI College in Poole for people with special educational needs. He wanted to open up the tours so that everyone could learn more about the College and the RNLI.

Read on to find out more about Stuart, his approach to inclusion, and where he would like to see the RNLI have more focus.

#OneCrew in Action at the RNLI College

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m a 56-year-old volunteer Tour Guide, originally from Morecambe, and based in Bournemouth since 1998. My career in banking included living and working in London, Bournemouth, New York, Athens and Warsaw. A keen amateur runner, I have completed 4 marathons and 20 half marathons, plus many 10 mile, 10K and 5K races. I always feel better when I come back from a run, however much I did not want to go before! 

I’ve been with my husband Phil since 1993 and married since 2018. We are both dog lovers, sponsoring Guide Dogs for the Blind, and supporting the local Staffy & Stray Rescue charity.  

How long have you been a volunteer with the RNLI?

After donating to the RNLI from my salary, I finally got the chance to volunteer my time during Covid. I loved Poole Old Lifeboat Museum from the first time I entered in 2020. I still consider it to be a happy place. Wanting to get more involved with the organisation, I became a College Tour Guide in 2021 and haven't looked back!

I am a huge fan of the RNLI’s 'Launch a Memory' campaign, and have volunteered at the days where people come to see their loved one’s name on the lifeboat. I’ve found meeting the Launch a Memory supporters to be very emotional, yet very rewarding. I have added my dad's name to Anstruther's lifeboat, my mum's to the relief boat Eric’s Legend, my Labrador’s to Exmouth's lifeboat, and added myself to Swanage’s Shannon. My husband and I have remembered the RNLI in our Wills, so we will both be on a future legacy lifeboat – hopefully not too soon!

Why did you decide to volunteer for us?

My love of the RNLI dates back to my family's maritime heritage. My grandad received the OBE for gallantry in the Merchant Navy in WW2. My uncle was crew at Blyth Lifeboat Station and won an award for meritorious conduct in 1963. My aunt was recognised as a longtime fundraiser for Morecambe RNLI.  I grew up in Morecambe Bay, which has one of the only four hovercraft stations in the UK, so I was always aware of the dangers in the water from a young age.  

When I enter the College and Museum, I get a feeling of real pride being part of something that is the best at what it does. Contributing just a little bit towards our vision to ‘save every one’ is very inspirational to me. I love sharing our amazing history and bringing stories to life about our heroic lifeboat crews and lifeguards. Telling people that the Thomas Kirk Wright lifeboat, on exhibit in the Museum, saved 97 lives at Dunkirk and 24 in Poole, is just brilliant. Showing people the state-of-the-art training facilities like the pool, simulator and live engine workshop in the College never gets old! 

Inclusion is important to us at the RNLI, what does it mean to you?

I was lucky to work at a big US bank, JPMorgan Chase (JPMC), who put diversity and inclusivity right at the core of all its activities. When I helped open up a new office in Warsaw, we recruited over a 1,000 people, across 35+ nationalities, and set up a networking group across diverse communities. It was a great experience.   

When I joined the RNLI, I was not really sure how diverse and inclusive it would feel as a volunteer, but my experience has been superb. Teams I interact with are always very supportive, friendly and appreciative of what we bring to the organisation. I am a member of the Harbour Network. 

Why did you want to change the way you approached College tours for people with additional needs?

I think everyone should be able to visit the College and learn about the RNLI. So along with Stephen Bennett, South East Retail Lead, we developed a highlights tour for people with special educational needs (SEN). It’s shorter in length, more interactive and focuses on the key messages of the RNLI. It visits the key training facilities and there’s been some great feedback that has led to other SEN schools and colleges requesting tours.

Can you tell us a little bit about how you have been approaching inclusion in your tours? How have you made sure that everyone feels included and welcome?

At the core of the SEN tour is developing a relationship with the school or college before they arrive, so we understand their needs. We ask questions about the group so we can make any necessary accommodations. Providing details of the tour in advance has meant the school is able to complete their necessary risk assessments. Some schools have used our pre-tour presentation as part of the education curriculum and ensured pupils arrive with lots of great questions!  

What has been the biggest change you have seen since you took this approach?

We have discovered the SEN tour can be very flexible. We have piloted it with groups of home-schooled children, school pupils under 10 and adults with dementia. We are considering other groups this tour may be appropriate for. 

How have the changes you made impacted other people?

In welcoming SEN schools, we have learnt a lot about how we share information about the RNLI to a new audience and respond appropriately to their questions. We have received feedback that tours like ours help some SEN young adults develop confidence in a public environment and can help them to prepare to live independently.  

What would your top three tips be for other people to consider inclusion in their role?

The RNLI rescues people and boats in trouble on the water 1) without judgement and 2) without prejudice, and I would consider these two behaviours as critical in being inclusive. I have always wanted to bring my whole self to anything I do, and for me, this means 3) never compromising on what you want to do or say.

What do you think the RNLI should focus on in terms of inclusion?

When I worked at JPMC, as part of the accessibility network group, it was identified that neurodivergent employees could excel in certain roles and bring real value to the company. However, it was also identified that potential employees who may be autistic, for example, were less likely to get through the interview process, due to things like some people finding eye contact challenging. So whenever I interact with people with special educational needs and their families, I always ask them to include if they are neurodivergent, or have a disability, on their application, or declare it at the beginning of the interview process, so we can give them the best chance to be employed. I know the RNLI places diversity and inclusion high on their priorities, so recruitment of employees and volunteers with special educational needs must have the right focus.

What do you have planned next?

We are planning to work on the tour in 2026, to ensure we have all the paperwork and approvals in place to consider rolling it out more widely.

If you would like to talk more to Stuart about the approach he has taken or any of the ways in which he has supported people with special educational needs, you can contact him by email ([email protected]).

#OneCrew in Action needs you

Please get in touch if you would like to share your approaches to inclusion and encourage others to consider similar changes which can have a positive impact.

If you know of an example or have one to share yourself, please get in touch at [email protected].