RNLI 200 Voices

On the RNLI's 200th anniversary, the charity's Chief Executive reflects on his 5 years at the wheel In the final episode of 200 Voices, hear from the person who has led the RNLI through some of its toughest challenges and into our 200th anniversary year: the charity's Chief Executive, Mark Dowie. With a love for the RNLI that grew from helping with rescues as a young sailor and later signing up as a volunteer at a lifeboat station, Mark took the helm of the charity in 2019. He reflects on his favourite 200 Voices episodes, guiding the RNLI through stormy times, and meeting thousands of 'fundamentally decent' lifesavers and volunteers. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

200 Voices might be a podcast, but when the composer of the theme music created the soundtrack, it was a movie that played in his head The sea doesn’t want for drama. And with its ever-changing moods - from blissful calm to surging swells - it has long inspired musicians. In it, Jon Nicholls, composer of the 200 Voices soundtrack, finds beauty and danger in equal measure. Jon reveals how he went about creating the music for the series, and shares some of the influences that shaped his choices, such as using folk instruments to nod to the ordinary people who have - and still do - put to sea to help others. Hear about the movie that played in the composer’s head from the outset. It’s no coincidence that listening to the soundtrack, one is reminded of the rise and fall of the waves. But the theme also traces the lifesavers’ journey, from launch to dry land - discover how Jon takes us on that journey with them. Listen to the full version of the soundtrack or search Jon Nicholls on soundcloud.com Learn more about Jon's work at jonnicholls.com 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

The writer of One Crew – an RNLI history book – recounts some of the names and stories that time forgot Over 200 years the RNLI has saved more than 144,000 lives. Many rescues and achievements are rightly celebrated, but some sit below the horizon. So when maritime historian Helen Doe set about the daunting task of capturing 2 centuries’ worth of lifesaving and loss, the author decided that it was time some of the lesser-known examples of courage, commitment and sacrifice were included. In her book – One Crew: The RNLI’s Official 200-Year History – Helen charts the course of the charity, from its humble beginnings to the modern organisation it is today. Over such a span, stormy seas are inevitable. The book explains how the RNLI navigated them, and endured. Along the way, we learn not just about the major milestones and headline-catching rescues, but of characters – some pivotal – and stories brought up from the depths. Read more about One Crew and other books by the author at helendoe.uk 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

In Welsh, Porthdinllaen crew member and TV producer Mali Parry-Jones recalls the real-life drama of a call out to a sailor who’d suffered a stroke Growing up on the Llyn Peninsula, Mali was always aware of her local lifeboat. Porthdinllaen RNLI was the constant backdrop to her childhood, whether she was hearing the maroons firing or pedalling her bike to spot the launch. By 2012 Mali was a TV producer and new crew member, helping Welsh language channel S4C to document the departure of the station’s Tyne – the ‘big orange boat’ she remembered arriving in the 1980s – and the new Tamar class that replaced it. In this episode, she describes one of her most memorable shouts aboard the Tamar, and the lifelong bond it created with two Guernsey sailors. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

The force behind the launch - Mark Smith on powering his crew to a Silver Medal rescue  When his pager went off on 20 May 2021, Trearddur Bay RNLI Tractor Driver Mark Smith knew exactly what it was about. Moments before, he’d looked out of his window and spotted three surfers struggling in treacherous swell and waves.  Mark talks about the incredibly challenging shout, which led to his fellow volunteer crew members receiving Silver and Bronze Medals, and Mark himself receiving the Director of Operations Commendation. Mark shares what kept him calm facing the worst sea conditions he’d ever experienced – and how everyone played a vital part.   200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's James Dwyer Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200       

The charity's founder was a man on a mission. In his words from 1823, we see the same guiding vision that’s saving lives 2 centuries later On 28 February 1823, RNLI founder Sir William Hillary wrote his Appeal to the Nation. It set out his vision for a voluntary organisation, supported by charitable donations to save lives at sea. A vision so forward-thinking that its principles hold true today. As Heritage Archive and Research Manager, it’s Hayley Whiting’s job to look after this document, and the thousands of others that chart the RNLI’s evolving response to the ‘preservation of life’. On a tour that takes in barometers, medals, rockets and chocolate, Hayley talks us through the Appeal, and explains why Hillary would still recognise the modern RNLI by its founding values: that whoever you are, you will be rescued; that we will find new ways to keep everyone safe; and that we will share our expertise with like-minded people around the world. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Former Torbay RNLI Coxswain Keith Bower remembers a life-changing rescue  On December 6, 1976, just before 1am, when most were sleeping soundly, Torbay RNLI’s then Acting Coxswain Keith Bower was woken by an urgent call for help. It marked the start of a shout for which Keith was awarded a Gold Medal for Conspicuous Gallantry.  Faced with storm conditions, 12m waves and crew members suffering seasickness, Keith recalls the extreme challenges of rescuing the crew of the motor vessel, Lyrma. Despite the recognition that followed the rescue, which included an invitation to Buckingham Palace, the thing that Keith is most proud of is ‘being able to handle a boat’ – a lifeboatman through and through.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Eleanor Driscoll Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

It was anything but a day of rest – a legendary St Davids Coxswain on his greatest test For local fisherman Dai Chant, volunteering on the St Davids lifeboat was perhaps inevitable. On 26 February 1989, the Mayday call came in for his most dangerous shout – to lead the rescue of four fellow fishermen, as their trawler Stephanie Jane dragged perilously towards South Bishop Lighthouse. Coxswain Chant takes us out into the boiling seas and rocky islands off the Pembrokeshire coast. From screaming winds to eerie silence as the lifeboat was submerged, we hear about the teamwork it takes to save lives in a violent storm. Awarded a Bronze Medal for his command of the rescue, Dai explains why the skill of his dependable crew made it a medal ‘for the whole boat’. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

In an age of selfies, photographer Jack Lowe uses Victorian methods on his quest to capture lifeboat crew from every RNLI lifeboat station. He tells us why For a 200-year-old institution, it’s fitting that photographer Jack Lowe’s Lifeboat Station Project allows us to see the modern work of the RNLI through a historical lens – quite literally. In 2015, Jack set out on a 10-year mission in his mobile darkroom – a converted ambulance he aptly named Neena – to photograph crew members at all 238 RNLI lifeboat stations. Eschewing contemporary methods, he uses a 170-year-old process known as wet collodion – something Jack calls ‘mobile-gearbox photography’. It’s a painstaking, multi-staged task, but the results are worth it. Jack has so far captured lifesavers at 158 lifeboat stations – many volunteers are moved by the photographs, sometimes to tears. In this episode, Jack talks about how old techniques can reveal new perspectives. You can view many of the photographs taken for the Lifeboat Station Project at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. Women of the RNLI runs 2 March-1 December 2024. To book tickets, visit: rmg.co.uk Learn more about the Lifeboat Station Project at: lifeboatstationproject.com 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

The 20th Chairman of the RNLI reflects on why 200 years of lifesaving connects us all What does it mean to be part of the RNLI? In his lifelong connection with our charity, Charles Hunter-Pease has been gathering stories to answer that question. From his childhood hearing the maroons fire and awaiting the Filey lifeboat crew’s safe return, Charles has gone on to support the RNLI as both a businessman and a volunteer. When he became RNLI Chairman in 2013, his energy and enthusiasm was matched by the inspiration and welcome he found in the RNLI family. Through laughter and tears, this episode reflects the impact of every life saved and tragedy prevented since 1824. Whether it’s in a priceless cup of tea, a surprising invoice in the archives or a lifeboat at sea in Hyde Park, Charles finds the humanity at the heart of the institution. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

At the RNLI, we don’t just answer calls for help. Alison Murphy on the privilege of hearing from our supporters Phone the RNLI to ask a question, make a donation or just have a chat, and you’ll speak to Alison or one of her 26-strong team. For more than 20 years, the Supporter Experience Manager has been one of the friendly, compassionate voices answering your calls. From Christmas Day companionship to lunch with royalty, Alison explains why this is no ordinary call-centre job. She shares some of her most memorable conversations with the kind people who power the RNLI – and remembers the greatest test faced by her team in the sudden shock of the Covid-19 lockdown. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

When seasoned swimmer Michael got into difficulty, open-water safety training guided him - and his crew - onshore Many of us have been discovering the joys of winter dips lately. Michael’s cold-water odyssey started with cold showers and learning the Wim Hof Method of breathing. Now you’ll find him dipping in Scarborough’s North or South Bay several times a week. For Michael, getting into chilly water and warming up onshore boosts his circulation and leaves him feeling sharper in his mind. But on one occasion, he ended up getting much colder than he’d planned. Michael takes us back to that January day, when the waves were higher and the current stronger than they seemed from shore. His story shows the small steps that can lead us into danger, and the many layers – training, experience, community – that keep us safe if things go wrong. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

When Dom Jackson went missing while kayaking in 2017, a 5-day search ensued. Since his death, his sister Ellie has called on others to take vital steps to keep themselves safe at sea  It wasn’t unusual for Dom to head off on an outdoor adventure - he had an adventurous spirit - but when he failed to return home after a lone kayaking trip, Ellie knew it was serious. Lost at sea, in freezing conditions, his body was found by the RNLI after a massive search, bringing Ellie both despair and relief that he’d been brought home.  In this moving episode, Ellie talks about her determination for something positive to come from her brother’s tragic loss. She set up a charity, Plan B, to encourage adventurers to think about what they’d do if the unexpected happens, including raising awareness about Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs), which make it easier to be found in an emergency. If Dom had carried one, Ellie says, the outcome could have been different.  Ellie is an author and has written a children’s book, Sami’s Beach Rescue, about staying safe while swimming. You can download a free eBook and find her other titles at wildtribeheroes.com  Learn more about Ellie's Plan B charity at planbcharity.org 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Eleanor Driscoll Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200         

Protection, layering, flexibility – the team behind our latest crew kit explain what makes the ultimate ‘cape’ for lifeboat heroes Which reflective material shines through fog? How high should a jacket collar be to protect crew in the harshest conditions?  These questions – and more – have been put to the test by the Helly Hansen Pro team, who partnered with the RNLI to develop our new crew kit in 2018. Category Manager Oliver Flaser describes how, by working closely with crew members, Helly Hansen have designed kit to keep them protected, warm and able to work at their best. He charts the innovative history of Helly Hansen – another 19th-century institution – which has gone from linseed-soaked linen in the 1870s, to the technical three-layer systems protecting sailors, skiers and lifeboat crews today. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

To survive for over 4 hours in freezing waters, two friends turn their thoughts to home Benny Thomson remembers 25 November 2012 as the day that changed his life forever. It would set him on a new career path, and on a course to volunteer beside his rescuers at Broughty Ferry RNLI. On an ill-fated jet ski trip, lifelong friends Benny and Gavin found themselves in the ‘washing machine’ waters of Abertay Sands. In this emotional episode, Benny shares what went through their minds as hope of rescue faded with the light. Hear how the pair fought the odds to stay afloat, remembering their loved ones waiting at home – and find out why a sweet rhyme will always stay with them. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Hallmark Productions Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Ripped from her surfboard and alone in the waves, Ruth held on to advice that would save her life For physio Ruth Osborne, a holiday in Cornwall sparked a move to Newquay and a sport that captured her heart. Learning beside competent surfers, she became more confident in the waves. But she always feared losing her board and being left out of her depth. When the worst happened, Ruth had to catch her breath in the chaos of the impact zone. As crashing waves built around her, she drew on a chance conversation with an RNLI lifeguard days before. You’ll hear how she turned panic into calm, gasps into deep breaths. This is how Ruth saved her own life – by trusting in Float to Live. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

After the Penlee lifeboat disaster, the RNLI’s collection boxes overflowed with donations. Val Nixon MBE fought through ice and snow to help keep up with the outpouring of generosity  The winter of 1981 was one of the coldest on record. Snow and ice meant the RNLI closed the north-east office early for Christmas. But, on the morning after the Penlee disaster on 19 December, Val Nixon managed to get through the severe weather to open the office and help.  Even though they were hundreds of miles from where the disaster happened, Val recalls how generous supporters in the area wanted to fundraise in any way they could. She talks about the tremendous kindness people showed to the RNLI after that disaster – one of many incredible fundraising initiatives she’s been part of in her lifelong career with the charity.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Diane Allton suffered from aquaphobia and couldn’t swim. At 55, she confronted her fears and took the plunge  The bravery of RNLI volunteer lifeboat crews is clear to see. But courage can come in other guises – and for Diane, confronting her fear of water has taken great strength. A traumatic event when she was a teenager left Diane with aquaphobia. For years she avoided water until World Drowning Prevention Day 2023, when she heard about swimming lessons taking place. In this inspiring episode, Diane shares what happened when she dared to dip her toe in the water she’d always feared.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Amy Bratley Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

The late John Sharp’s gift to the RNLI honours his remarkable family history in helping to save lives at sea  When John Sharp passed away in 2019, he left a generous gift to the Charities Aid Foundation and wrote a letter to his brother, Anthony, with a list of charities to consider as beneficiaries – one of which was the RNLI.  Anthony shares how, in his retirement, John had researched the Sharp family tree, which revealed that his ancestor (also named John Sharp) had commissioned one of Lionel Lukin’s patented ‘unimmergible boats’ in 1786. This helped the local community on the north-east coast to be better equipped to face the extreme dangers of helping shipwrecked sailors at sea.  With this fascinating family history in mind, Anthony talks about how the family settled on the RNLI as the charity to benefit from John’s legacy. He also reveals the exciting news that in 2024, a new Shannon class lifeboat, funded by John’s estate and carrying the name John Sharp, will be launched.   200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200       

200 Voices producer and former Kessock RNLI volunteer Dan Holland on the day he knew he wanted to be a lifeboat crew member In this episode, we turn the mic to one of the producers behind the series. At the age of 8, Dan Holland stood in awe watching Flamborough RNLI lifeboat launch into the waves, vowing that one day, he would volunteer. He literally had the T-shirt. Dan made good on his wish, later joining the crew at Kessock for 14 years, 5 of them as helm. He recalls being on the lifeboat at 3am on the eve of his own wedding, and reflects on the impact the series has had on him. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

The RNLI’s Artwork Manager reveals the painstaking work that goes into colourising the charity’s archive photos, and reveals the stories behind three of them Extraordinary stories from ordinary people deserve to be remembered. And 200 Voices is one way in which the RNLI is ensuring that these stories are not forgotten. But it’s not the only way. David Constant leads the RNLI's Artwork team - who usually lay out the charity's communications and campaigns and prepare them for print. But with a big anniversary on the horizon, he faced a new kind of task. Over 2 centuries, the RNLI has amassed quite a photographic collection. In this episode, David shares the stories behind some of these archive images and explains the careful process that goes into colourising them as part of the charity’s bicentenary activity. View the lovingly restored images discussed in this episode at RNLI.org/BirthdayPhotos A photographic exhibition celebrating the vital role that women have played in saving lives at sea runs 2 March–1 December 2024 at the National Maritime Museum, London. Women of the RNLI showcases images captured using Victorian glass-plate technology, and is the work of Jack Lowe.  To listen to Jack Lowe's 200 Voices interview, search episode 192: Talking Pictures 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Eleanor Driscoll Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

From polishing the lifeboat station brass as a child, to seeing his own son join the crew, Mike Picknett’s connection to the RNLI is lifelong  Man and boy – and beyond. That’s the way to describe Mike Picknett’s service with the RNLI. Currently Lifeboat Operations Manager at Redcar Lifeboat Station, Mike was sweeping the lifeboat station floor at the tender age of nine, and his family’s connection with the lifeboat goes back generations.  Mike recalls his work with the flood rescue team - rescuing families from homes which were about to collapse, navigating flooded streets and not knowing what hazards were under the water. He also shares how it feels to watch his son go out on a shout: a combination of wishing he was there himself - and fatherly concern.   200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

After losing her brother to the sea in 2020, Terri Peay is taking on a 200km challenge on behalf of the RNLI, which helped her family in an hour of need  Exercise as therapy is a strategy many of us are familiar with – and it’s her passion for running that helps Terri Peay cope with the death of her brother, Dan, whose body was recovered from the sea by the RNLI.  Determined to give something back to the organisation that brought her brother home to rest, Terri is running the London marathon as part of an incredible 200km challenge on behalf of the charity.  In this moving episode, Terri talks about her treasured memories of Dan, the tough times she’s faced during training and how she’s trying to find light through darkness.  You can support Terri’s 200km challenge at https://www.justgiving.com/page/terris-200km-rnli  Terri is an illustrator and is kindly donating 50% of profits on some of her homewares to the RNLI at terripeay.com  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Amy Bratley Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

When Evan Chrisp was pulled out to sea by a rip current his father feared for his son’s life – but a simple, powerful message Evan had seen at the cinema helped save him  It was every parent’s nightmare. Simon Chrisp had taken his son Evan and a group of his friends to the beach when disaster struck. Simon recalls the moment he realised Evan was in grave danger in the sea and recounts the turmoil he endured, fighting his instinct to jump in and try to rescue his son himself.  Unbeknownst to Simon, Evan had seen the RNLI’s Float to Live advert just days before. Simon talks about the phenomenal impact of the water safety campaign – and the pure relief he felt when the RNLI lifeboat returned Evan to shore. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

In 1861, all but one of the RNLI Whitby crew died when their lifeboat capsized. David Freeman reveals what saved his ancestor, Henry Freeman  In Whitby, they’re planning to add a new statue to the Whitby Sculpture Trail – a series that depicts notable figures in homage to the heritage and history of the town. The new sculpture – part of a planned RNLI-themed garden – will be of a silver-medal-winning RNLI lifesaver by the name of Henry Freeman.   When his lifeboat capsized in a storm, Henry was the sole survivor, thanks to something he was wearing that the other 12 crew members were not. It was a new-fangled invention – a lifejacket made of cork. David Freeman, Lifeboat Operations Manager at RNLI Flamborough, tells the story of his famous relative.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

The first female helm in the 170-year history of RNLI Cullercoats, Anna Heslop has helped pave the way for other women to get onboard - including her mum   Anna joined Cullercoats Lifeboat Station at 17, and for a while, was the only female at the station. Now, there are nine women involved, including Anna’s partner, Jane, and Anna’s mother, who is Lifeboat Operations Manager.  Anna talks about her experience of being a female helm, and about how, in December 2022, the Cullercoats lifeboat launched with the first all-female crew – a proud moment for the station.    200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Sliney skills: The Spiderman illustrator on saving lives for real Will Sliney is a man with a lot to live up to. In his day job as a graphic artist, he spends his time in the company of heroes such as Spider-Man. But the Marvel and Star Wars illustrator has an illustrious backstory himself. Will is a volunteer with the Ballycotton lifeboat crew, continuing a family tradition that dates back to at least great-grandfather Patsy Sliney, one of Ireland’s most decorated lifeboat volunteers. Patsy was Coxswain during the exhausting 1936 Daunt Rock rescue, when a February storm ripped huge rocks from the quay and whipped up waves so mountainous that the spray flew over the top of the 59m lighthouse. The ensuing rescue of the eight men aboard the Comet is the stuff of legend. Fittingly, the crew’s heroic actions would go on to be depicted by artists. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

Cromer veteran Ted Luckin BEM shares his memories of Henry Blogg, the RNLI’s most decorated lifesaver The word ‘legend’ is often used lightly. But Henry Blogg truly was one. During 53 years’ service at Cromer, the RNLI’s most decorated crew member helped to save 873 lives. Former Cromer Helm Ted Luckin knew Henry, and in this episode he shares his memories of the man. Over 6 decades, Ted has performed almost every role at the station, so is a bit of a legend himself. It all started when he was invited to join the crew by coxswains ‘Shrimp' Davis and ‘Tuna’ Harrison. After that, Ted never found himself more than 200 yards from the sea. During the Second World War, Henry Blogg was kept busy. The Cromer lifeboat launched 150 times and saved 448 lives – more than any other. Learn more about the RNLI's extraordinary wartime efforts in a special episode of Saving Lives at Sea, presented by Dermot O'Leary. Search Series 9: Episode 1 on BBC iPlayer or visit https://tinyurl.com/4cryn54u Find out more about the life of RNLI legend Henry Blogg. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

In 1914, nine Fethard volunteers lost their lives whilst saving others. Current Helm Eoin Bird on the family members who made the ultimate sacrifice Selfless. Dependable. Trustworthy. Courageous. These are the values that RNLI crew members live by. And they were perhaps never more in evidence than in February 1914, when, in a vicious storm, Fethard volunteers went to the aid of the schooner, Mexico. What followed was an epic 3-day ordeal. Present-day Fethard crew member Eoin Bird tells the story of what happened to the crew of the lifeboat, Helen Blake, shining a light on a disaster that remains one of the most tragic and courageous in RNLI history. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI     Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls     The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200    

Rain or shine, the RNLI’s face-to-face fundraisers are out talking to the public. John Connolly shares his experience of working on the front line - and a personal story of an RNLI rescue John knows all too well the dangers of the sea. His son was once saved by a lifeguard in Cornwall, and that very same evening, John received the news that a close friend had been killed by a jet ski. In this episode, the RNLI fundraiser talks about dealing with rejection and developing a thick skin. But also about surprising acts of generosity that warm him up on a cold day. To learn more about face-to-face fundraising opportunities at the RNLI, search: RNLI Face-To-Face Fundraising Jobs 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI     Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls     The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200    

When researching his family history, Martin Leach unearthed a fascinating story of convicts, a shipwreck and a lifeboat rescue  What do a barrister, teacher and research chemist have in common? All well-respected professions, and - in the case of the Leach family - descendants of a convict who was rescued by the RNLI in 1862.  Hear the colourful history Martin Leach discovered when he unpicked his family background - the star of the show being his grandmother’s grandfather who was transported to Bermuda as a prisoner. Martin shares the story of his ancestor’s dramatic return, by sea, to England and reflects on the fact that when the RNLI rescue one person, the impact can be felt for generations.   200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Somewhere around the world, drowning takes a life every other minute. Meet the woman striving to change that  The RNLI’s founder, Sir William Hillary, had a vision to save lives at sea, not just in the UK and Ireland, but across the globe – and the RNLI’s international team are helping his vision become a reality.  Kate Eardley, co-leader of the international team, talks about the RNLI’s work supporting drowning prevention in more than 40 countries across the world. She shares the humbling experience of meeting families who have lost children to drowning, and the remarkable stories of people making a difference on the ground.  Find out more about the work we're doing to end global drowning. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI     Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls     The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200    

When the Pride flag was raised at RNLI Skegness Lifeboat Station for the first time, it was a powerful moment for Brad Johnson  In an area where the Pride flag might not be flown as much as in a city location, Brad Johnson was keen to fly the flag to raise awareness of inclusion, equality and diversity and reach out to the LGBTQI+ community. It was something enthusiastically supported by fellow crew members.  Brad talks about how, from day one, he was open about his sexuality and warmly welcomed to the station by a team he thinks of as a family unit. Brad explains how flying the Pride flag made an important statement – as one of the oldest organisations in Skegness, the RNLI is leading the way in celebrating difference and all its people, no matter who they are.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI     Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls     The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200               

Jim Brown on the boyhood tragedy that inspired his lifelong commitment to the RNLI On 1 February 1953, a 10-year-old boy stood with his father and younger brother and watched as 13 bodies were brought to shore by the Sir Samuel Kelly lifeboat. The 13 recovered were among 133 lost in the Princess Victoria ferry disaster the day before, when more than 30 passengers were rescued by the lifeboat crew as the ferry sank 7 miles east of Belfast Lough. The 10-year-old boy watching on was Jim Brown, who would go on to hold a host of roles in the RNLI, including being President of Portaferry Lifeboat Station and a Youth Education Volunteer for Donaghadee RNLI – hear him reflect on what was a life-changing experience. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

When Veronica Vondy decided to research her family tree, it led to an ancestor with a surprising story – the saving of the man who founded the RNLI Just 6 years after the RNLI was formed, its founder - Sir William Hillary - was himself thrown overboard whilst going to the aid of the steamer, St George, in Douglas Harbour, Isle of Man. Veronica Vondy, from Peel on the Isle of Man’s west coast, tells the story of how her family research led her all the way back to the lifeboat that went to the aid of the steamer that day. Onboard, along with the crew, was a coxswain whose gallantry would be recognised three times by the RNLI. His name, Veronica would learn, was Isaac Vondy. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

When Anne Scott retired from her full-time job at the RNLI, Buckie lifeboat crew had other ideas. Now, RNLI stalwart Anne volunteers at the station – and sees the crew as family  One of Anne’s earliest memories is of being 4 or 5 and trying to stay awake, not for Santa Claus, but for her dad – the mechanic at Cromarty Lifeboat – to return home from a shout. Her uncle John was RNLI crew too, and her mother a passionate fundraiser.   Fittingly, Anne later became an RNLI Fundraising Manager and supported events in her patch of Scotland. She talks about her latest role as Lifeboat Operations Manager at Buckie Lifeboat Station, what being involved with the crew means to her, and about another indelible memory – lifeboat crew members putting on their best Beyoncé in fishnets and stilettos.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Lucy Crichard is the RNLI’s first sustainability apprentice. She shares what drew her to the role, and reveals her efforts to inspire others like her The winner of the MAKE UK Business Apprentice Rising Star award for the South-West - Lucy Crichard - believes we can all be change-makers. Hear why she started a Sustainability Champions newsletter, and why she takes part in the RNLI’s annual Women in Engineering Day - an event that allows schoolgirls to take part in STEM activities. Since this episode was recorded, Lucy was also named Runner-Up at the MAKE UK National awards. In this episode, she also talks about how climate change affects sea-goers here and now, revealing why the RNLI maintains close ties with organisations like Surfers Against Sewage.   To learn more about Women in Engineering and for resources such as newsletters for schools, visit: RNLI.org/WomenInEngineering 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Darren Crew Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Dr Aminur Rahman on how his charity – supported by the RNLI – is tackling Bangladesh’s drowning problem In Bangladesh, water gives life, but it also destroys it. A survey carried out by pioneering safety charity, the CIPRB, found that 40 children were drowning daily – the majority lost in inland ponds. In this episode, the CIPRB’s Dr Aminur Rahman explains how the SwimSafe programme – delivered with the support of the RNLI – is tackling the horrifying loss of young lives in the country. For more on SwimSafe and the other ways that the CIPRB is preventing drowning tragedies in Bangladesh – thanks to the work of remarkable women – take a look at our International Women's Day magazine article: RNLI.org/BhasaWomen  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200 

One year into her appointment as Chair of the RNLI, Janet Legrand shares her unique insight into the charity Her earliest memories of the RNLI are from childhood - Blue Peter, and visits to the RNLI shop in Eastbourne to buy souvenirs with her pocket money. Now, Janet - a lawyer by profession - is Chair of the RNLI, which means she’s head of the board legally responsible for the charity’s affairs. Janet talks about the highlights of her first year at the RNLI, from stepping on stage at her first AGM, to attending the naming ceremony of the new lifeboat at Margate and being struck by a tremendous sense of community. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by RNLI’s Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

Pamela Deasy helped campaign for an RNLI lifeboat station at Union Hall – now she can see it from her window. Meet the woman who has been an RNLI volunteer for decades, through good times and bad After tragedy struck Union Hall when a local trawler hit a rock in the harbour, Pamela Deasy determinedly campaigned for a local RNLI lifeboat station - which has now been operational for 10 years. Her determination has also been key in helping to organise local fundraising events, including the popular Union Hall swim. The same quality shines through in Pamela’s personal life too. She shares what kept her going through a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer – including the support of her RNLI family and the therapeutic effect of the sea. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI’s Mairead Dwane Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

The creator of Launch! - a film about Scotland’s RNLI lifeboat crews - on why sound was key to portraying what lifeboat stations mean to local communities Film-maker Shona Thomson knows that it takes a whole community to launch a lifeboat. To underline the deep connection that locals have with their lifeboat station, Shona wanted an immersive score that would do justice to the archive footage she was unearthing for her film: Launch! On The Sea With Scotland’s Lifeboats. Acclaimed musicians - Jason Singh, Arun Ghosh, Jenny Sturgeon, and John Ellis - answered the call, taking inspiration from the power of the sea and the sounds and stories discovered in the RNLI’s collection. The resulting score is a 5.1 surround soundtrack designed specifically to be experienced at the cinema. And the resulting film - co-produced by Screen Argyll - has toured communities across Scotland.  In this episode, Shona explains how the film - featuring footage that dates back as far as the 1920s - came together. Watch the Launch! trailer Or visit: https://www.akindofseeing.co.uk/projectsblog/launch Listen to the full-length soundtrack on Spotify Or search Spotify or Apple Music using: 'Launch! On The Sea' Launch! will be showing at the Oban Phoenix Cinema on 9 March 2024. To learn more about Shona’s work and contact her about screening Launch! in your community, visit: www.akindofseeing.co.uk Find out more about Screen Argyll at www.screenargyll.co.uk 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

When Alice Higgins isn’t saving lives she’s saving lives. Meet the Lead Lifeguard Supervisor who’s also on the crew at RNLI Weymouth When she’s not working as Lead Lifeguard Supervisor for Weymouth and Dorset, or volunteering as a crew member for Weymouth Lifeboat Station, Alice Higgins can be found in the sea. Whether it’s a daily dip during the winter months, or bodyboarding in the summer, the water is her happy place. Alice talks about her lifelong connection to the sea, including how in childhood her brother, who is disabled, loved the beach – and how this inspires her to help make water activities more inclusive. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

After Vicky Murphy and husband Marc were cut off by the tide at Chapel Porth Beach, St Agnes, they thought their time – and that of their unborn baby – was up In 2009, a 34-weeks pregnant Vicky Murphy and her husband Marc were taking a stroll around the headland at Chapel Porth Beach in Cornwall. In no time, the incoming tide had cut them off. Soon, waves were crashing over their heads, and the only thing stopping Vicky from being dragged out to sea was the fact that Marc had hooked one of his arms through the straps on her dungarees. Marc clung to the rocks, but was losing the battle. It was time for the couple to say their goodbyes. Or so they thought. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Nathan Williams Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Clinging to the side of a cliff with a broken ankle and worrying she might faint, climber Polly couldn’t do anything but wait Polly had gone climbing at Anvil Point in Dorset with her husband. Both were experienced climbers and things were all good until Polly had an accident and fractured her ankle. In pain and with no phone signal, she recalls how her husband had to go and get help while she was dangling off the cliff, trying not to move and injure herself further. Polly, who’s the Chief Executive of the charity Shelter, talks of the huge relief she felt on seeing the lifeboat. And of how heartened she was – as part of the charity sector herself – by the volunteer crew’s bravery and selflessness. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Hallmark Broadcast Media  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Naval Architect Natasha Banks once thought engineering wasn’t for her. Now she’s inspiring the next generation Having always enjoyed STEM subjects at school, Natasha went on to study Marine Technology at Newcastle University. Despite at one time wondering if engineering was for her, she found her niche at the RNLI. Now a Naval Architect, Natasha talks about what she enjoys about the role, the pivotal part her mentor played in setting her on her path, and about the prospect of becoming a mentor herself. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Darren Crew Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

When all but one of the Fraserburgh lifeboat crew were lost in 1970, thousands attended the funeral. Vic Sutherland on the tragedy that sadly wasn’t the lifeboat station’s first Outside Scotland’s first RNLI lifeboat station stands a statue of a lifeboat crew member watching over Fraserburgh harbour. The memorial – donations for which came from as far afield as Canada and Australia – stands as a tribute to the 13 lifesavers lost in three separate tragedies. In 1919, two volunteers were swept overboard from the Lady Rothes. Six more were lost in 1953. And when five of the six crew perished in the 1970 disaster, Fraserburgh went without a lifeboat station until 1978. Current RNLI Coxswain / Mechanic Vic Sutherland reveals the toll the losses took on the local community.   200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

Disabled yachtsman and adventurer, Geoff Holt MBE, on achieving his seafaring dreams and inspiring disabled people to get out on the water  When Geoff was 18, he landed a dream job as First Mate on a luxury yacht in the Caribbean. On the first day there, he dived into the sea and broke his neck, suffering a devastating injury which meant he’s been in a wheelchair ever since.  Geoff talks about his personal journey, including marrying the nurse who helped care for him in hospital, and how – thinking his sailing dreams were over – he embarked on a different career path. However, Geoff desperately missed sailing and wanted to do something extraordinary. Hear how he’s done just that, from sailing across the Atlantic and becoming a Vice President of the RNLI, to setting up a charity to help disabled people enjoy the water.   200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio   Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200         

Familiar to millions as the former face of BBC Breakfast, hear how RNLI supporter Louise Minchin surprised herself with a midlife love of – and talent for – outdoor swimming  It’s part of Louise’s family lore that she could swim before she could walk. Her passion for swimming shone during her childhood when she swam competitively until she was 15.  Louise talks about why she decided to stop racing as a teen, and how her passion for swimming challenges resurfaced with a vengeance in her mid-40s. From the comfort of a pool to tackling a swim to Alcatraz, San Francisco, Louise shares her love of the sea – and why the RNLI is close to her heart.  Learn more about open water swimming. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI’s Rory Stamp   Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Trapped under a sail after being thrown overboard in pitch darkness, James Gaskin thought it was the end. He transports us miles out to sea on a stormy night off The Lizard Nearing the end of a solo sailing trip from Brittany to Ireland, James was enveloped by a foreboding darkness in the middle of a shipping lane. Caught in squalls, he battened down the hatches, but was thrown overboard. Utterly exhausted, and dreading that a giant tanker might run over him, he thought his time was up. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

When school friends Stanley and Peter boarded a cabin cruiser in 1940, little did they know they’d play a part in the Dunkirk evacuation It was the Second World War rescue mission that Winston Churchill called a ‘miracle of deliverance’. The port of Dunkirk was destroyed – its beaches the only escape route for nearly 340,000 retreating allied troops.  Shallow waters meant that big ships couldn’t get close enough for a mass evacuation. Only the smallest of vessels could reach the shattered soldiers. Responding to a request by Britain’s Ministry of Shipping, an armada of 700 little boats – including pleasure craft and private yachts – quickly formed. Among the volunteers were RNLI crews from Ramsgate and Margate. And, as chance would have it, aboard a cabin cruiser, 8-year-old Stanley Holtom and his friend, Peter. This is the story of how two little boys came to take part in Operation Dynamo. Hear more about the RNLI's involvement in Operation Dynamo in episode 15 – Lifesaving in Wartime: John Ray  Learn more about the RNLI's extraordinary efforts in the Second World War in a special episode of Saving Lives at Sea, presented by Dermot O'Leary. Search Series 9: Episode 1 on BBC iPlayer or visit https://tinyurl.com/4cryn54u 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Eleanor Driscoll Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

David, a Watch Officer with the Irish Coast Guard, knows exactly how it feels to listen to the radio for news of a loved one who’s out at sea. As a boy, he was the one listening When David O’Driscoll was a child, he and his family would gather round his grandmother’s kitchen table to listen to radio exchanges between the Coast Guard and his father, who – as an RNLI coxswain – was out on another rescue. Looking back, he is reminded of a line from the Phil Coulter song Home from the Sea: ‘They gathered in pairs at the foot of the stairs to wait for the radio call.’ David wondered who the other voice belonged to. Today, in his role as Watch Officer in Valentia, he is that voice. His grandmother still listens for updates – but nowadays, it’s David she hears on the radio. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200       

The RNLI’s most decorated serving coxswain on launching to a Greek Prince, and meeting a real one On the night of 13 January 2008, the crew of the Greek-registered cargo ship Ice Prince was in serious trouble 31 miles off Portland Bill. Arriving on scene in atrocious conditions, the crew of the Torbay lifeboat found the Ice Prince taking on water and listing badly – she was destined to sink beneath the waves. Torbay Coxswain Mark Criddle reflects on the rescue that would earn him an RNLI Silver Medal for Gallantry. Discover 11 remarkable rescue stories – including Mark’s – in our book, Surviving the Storms. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Eleanor Driscoll  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

In the case of Jamie Robson White – descendant of famous lifesavers – the apple didn’t fall far from the tree With a heritage like Jamie Robson White’s, it’s no wonder he’s passionate about saving lives at sea – lifesaving is tightly woven into his family history. In this episode, Jamie – full-time Second Coxswain at Humber Lifeboat Station and volunteer at Whitby Lifeboat Station – shares memories of his grandmother first showing him the family tree. Jamie is a distant relative of Grace Darling and a descendant of Michael Robson – both present at the famous Forfarshire shipwreck rescue in 1838. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

A horse is trapped in an oyster bed. The tide is coming in. Kinsale Helm Jonathan Connor on galloping to the rescue When the pager goes off, RNLI crew never know what to expect. But a horse trapped in an oyster bed? That was a first. Kinsale crew member Jonathan Connor recalls the crisp February morning when the RNLI were called to the rescue of Paddy the horse, whose owner couldn’t swim. An unusual call out, but Jonathan isn’t new to drama. When he was 17, and a trainee at Kinsale, he was in the lifeboat station and heard a Mayday call over the radio. What he did next helped buy the lifeboat crew vital time to launch to the scene. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Meet the man helping to cut the number of river drownings in Galway The River Corrib in Galway is fast-flowing and dangerous. In the past, because of a lack of communication and co-ordination between local agencies, when a person entered the river, the RNLI couldn’t get there in time. Galway RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Michael Swan was determined to change that. He talks about working with other local emergency services and agencies to put an effective, co-ordinated search and rescue plan in place. With innovative technology, improved communication, and awareness and prevention schemes, the RNLI are now able to launch to the rescue in time – and help save more lives. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

The RNLI’s Medical Director on the unique challenges crew face, from performing casualty care on the deck of a lifeboat to coping with traumatic shouts Aroop Mozumder is the RNLI’s first Medical Director – and he’s a busy man. Having previously put his medical skills to use in war zones and humanitarian disaster zones, Aroop talks about how his experiences as a military doctor have prepared him well for life in the RNLI.   Acknowledging the difficult conditions in which RNLI crew treat injured and distressed people, Aroop says that practicing ‘good medicine in bad places’ is a tough job and can have traumatic consequences – something that he is working hard to address. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Eleanor Driscoll Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

A to E – Principal Engineer Holly Phillips on designing the fastest lifeboat in the RNLI fleet Holly Phillips has always loved boats, spending most of her life being in them, on them or under them. Having joined the RNLI Poole crew in 1992, and starting as Senior Naval Architect 10 years later, she shaped the evolution of lifeboat engineering during her impressive 21-year career at the RNLI. In particular, she was instrumental in the design of the fast and manoeuvrable E class lifeboat, and was at the helm of the team that saw the project through from conception to launch. It was this that led to Holly being awarded an MBE by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – which Holly humbly describes as a team effort. In this episode, hear Holly talk about her inspirational career as a woman in engineering, and why the challenging moments along the way always ended up being the most rewarding. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Eleanor Driscoll Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200    

The ripple effect – thanks to Poole’s 2022 RNLI Lifeguard of the Year, Sandbanks’ gain is also Senegal’s Poole lifeguard Idi Ndiaye is so much at home in the water that his nickname is ‘The Waterman’. Idi, a former military firefighter, ambulance driver and rescue diver, is from Dakar in Senegal – a place where drowning is all too common. While working as a lifeguard on the beaches there, he once saved three boys at once from a riptide – an act performed without any lifesaving equipment. It led to a place on the RNLI’s Future Leaders course. In this episode, Idi talks about how this in turn led him to set up Swim Safe Senegal, the country’s first lifesaving training association. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Darren Crew Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

In 1923, Joseph Conrad wrote the foreword for Britain’s Life-Boats: The Story of a Century of Heroic Service. Toby Harper shares the author’s thoughts The author Joseph Conrad’s fascination with the sea began when he was just 13. Inspired by a book he’d read about the search for Sir John Franklin’s lost ships, Erebus and Terror, he spent 19 years in the merchant navy before turning to writing, often penning tales about the sea and those who sail on it. His travels gave rise to some of the stories and characters in books such as Nostromo and Heart of Darkness. 2024 marks 100 years since Conrad’s death. Not long before he died, he wrote the foreword for Britain’s Life-Boats: The Story of a Century of Heroic Service. In this episode, that foreword is read by Toby Harper. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Darren Crew Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    Thanks to Toby Harper for lending his voice to this episode The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

When Shaddah the dog chased a ball into the sea, he was quickly swept out. His owner relives the anxious wait for a dog with no off-switch Shaddah is a cross between a Labrador and a Springer Spaniel. And as anyone who knows Springers knows, they love the water. One March day at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland, Shaddah’s enthusiastic nature got him into trouble. Determined to retrieve an elusive ball, the black dog was the same colour as the water he was swept out by. And his owner, Reverend William Docherty, had lost sight of him. Reverend Docherty talks about the moments he was forced to consider the prospect of having to go home without his beloved pet. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

Being part of a lifeboat crew is not a nine to five job – something that RNLI mechanic Dupre Strutt takes in his stride For RNLI lifesavers, days – and nights – are unpredictable. Crew never know when the pager will go off, or what emergency they’ll be called to. For Dupre Strutt, mechanic at Kirkwall Lifeboat Station in Orkney, it’s a way of life. He grew up with the lifeboat – his father was previously the mechanic – and himself joined the crew at 17 years old. He’s been there ever since, for over 30 years. Dupre talks about the appeal of being on the crew, how no job is ever the same as the last, and how, when every second counts in a rescue, making sure the lifeboat is ready to go and in tip-top condition is vitally important – a responsibility he shoulders with great pride. This interview was recorded by photographer Jack Lowe, whose exhibition ‘Women of the RNLI’ will be open at the National Maritime Museum, London, 2 March–1 December 2024, to mark 200 years of the RNLI.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Jack Lowe of The Lifeboat Station Project Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

Wake up overlooking the second largest natural harbour in the world – take a tour of the RNLI College Don’t let the name fool you. The RNLI College is more than a college. Frequently voted one of the best places to stay in Poole, Dorset, the RNLI College includes 60 en suite bedrooms, all with sea views. Debbie Corke, who sadly passed away in 2023, was the RNLI’s Volunteer Development Coordinator, and in this episode Debbie explains the visionary idea behind the College. Guests can even take a tour of the Sea Survival Centre, where wave machines and magic allow visitors and crews to experience what it’s like to take on stormy seas. Book a stay at the RNLI College here or via the link: RNLI.org/stay 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Darren Crew Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

The RNLI’s Newquay lifeguard team includes lifesavers from eight nations. Agustin reveals why Cornwall’s gain is also Argentina’s   The lifeguards who patrol the Newquay beaches are an eclectic bunch, coming from places as far afield as Greece, Austria and Brazil. Agustin, who is from Argentina, talks about what drew him to join the multinational team at Mawgan Porth, and about some of the RNLI’s ideas and methods that he has shared with lifeguards back home in Argentina. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

HRH The Duke of Kent reflects on 55 years as President of the charity Since becoming President of the RNLI in 1969, HRH The Duke of Kent has supported the organisation through some of the charity’s greatest milestones – including the opening of the RNLI College, the introduction of the lifeguard service, and the development of faster, safer lifeboats that have helped save more lives. In this episode, The Duke speaks with Chief Executive of the RNLI, Mark Dowie, about being President, recalling the events and stories that have stayed with His Royal Highness over the years, and how it felt to have a lifeboat named RNLB The Duke of Kent. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Mark Dowie Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

On New Year’s Day, 1916, Horton and Port Eynon lifeboat volunteers paid a heavy price after braving conditions some called the worst in living memory When a steamer ran aground near Pennard Cliffs on the Glamorgan coast, Horton and Port Eynon volunteers launched their rowing lifeboat into the teeth of a gale. Unable to reach the steamer due to the conditions, the lifeboat – Janet – began to head back. But it was too late. The lifeboat capsized twice. And after she was righted for the second time, three crew members were missing. Without oars, and drifting towards Mumbles, all the crew could do was huddle in the bottom of the lifeboat and hope. The grandfather and great-grandfather of the current lifeboat station’s Volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager, Lawrie Grove, were on the Janet that day. In this episode – dedicated to William Eynon, George Harry and Billy Gibbs – Lawrie recounts what happened. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200             

When a cross-channel hovercraft with hundreds of passengers onboard crashed into the breakwater in Dover, the RNLI launched to the rescue On the 30 March 1985, Dover RNLI Coxswain Tony Hawkins was in the bath when the maroons were fired. He leapt out of the bath to go to the aid of those aboard cross-channel hovercraft, the Princess Margaret, which had collided with the breakwater on entering the harbour. Tony, now Boathouse Manager at Dover RNLI, recalls how the hovercraft had a hole ripped into its side and that hundreds of passengers needed to be urgently rescued. Some were seriously injured, others were pulled from the waves suffering from cold and shock, and others still were sadly missing. The interview with Tony was recorded by photographer Jack Lowe, whose exhibition ‘Women of the RNLI’ will be open at the National Maritime Museum, London, 2 March–1 December 2024, to mark 200 years of the RNLI.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Jack Lowe of The Lifeboat Station Project Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

Less shoot 'em up, more round 'em up – why the RNLI’s new video game is a refreshing departure In an era in which children and young people are more likely to tap away on small screens rather than gather around the TV, how can the RNLI achieve the 'Blue Peter effect' that once planted a seed of support? To help the charity reach a new generation, the RNLI has been working with a video games developer to produce an exciting mobile and tablet app: Storm Force Rescue. Players will be able to become lifeguards and lifeboat crew, rescuing people and learning safety tips along the way. In this episode of 200 Voices, we hear from the Head of Studio at Amuzo games, Nick Roberts, who explains how and why the game has been created. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

RNLI volunteer Pat Abram knows only too well the devastating power of the sea Pat has a lifelong awareness of the dangers of the sea. His father drowned at sea before Pat was born, and on the 5 January 1983, while working as a police officer in Blackpool, Pat and three colleagues went to the rescue of a man struggling in the sea – a courageous act that ended in tragedy. Four lives were lost, leaving the local community devastated, and every year those people are remembered in a memorial service in the town. Pat shares his deeply moving story of the rescue attempt – during which he too almost lost his life – and how the incident influenced his decision to volunteer at RNLI Blackpool Lifeboat Station in the shop and as Deputy Launching Authority. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

He had a life-changing accident while surfing – but Alex’s RNLI training helped save his life Working as a RNLI lifeguard in Scarborough, Alex was passionate about saving lives at sea and loved the water. But, on the 28 March 2013, while surfing on holiday in Argentina, he hit his head on the sea floor and was left face down in the water, unable to move his arms or legs. He puts his survival down to two main factors: the man who first came to help him in the water – and his own RNLI training. He knew that he’d probably suffered a spinal injury and was able to instruct the people around him on what to do. Alex, who suffered paralysis in most of his body, talks about how his vital lifesaving skills came into play that day. And about how now, as an office-based volunteer for the RNLI, his dedication to saving lives at sea continues today.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Isobel Noctor Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200           

The first Boxing Day Dip at Southend’s Jubilee Beach attracted 87 people. Last year, there were 400. Daniel Wanna from RNLI Southend-on-Sea explains what makes folks swap the sofa for the surf For some, the perfect Boxing Day is about a dip in the sea, followed by a hot drink and a mince pie on the beach. Daniel Wanna – Lifeboat Helm at Southend-on-Sea – talks about what draws a growing number to take the plunge in the annual Boxing Day Dip at Jubilee Beach. The event attracts all ages. Some don a wetsuit. Others prefer fancy dress. Daniel has braved the dip himself, but would he do it again? 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200       

The sea doesn’t take a day off – neither do the lifeguards at Crosby Beach. Siobhan Murphy explains why Crosby Beach is unique, and in more ways than one. It’s the only beach patrolled by RNLI lifeguards 365 days a year. And on Christmas Day, Senior Lifeguard Siobhan Murphy will be one of them. They’re kept busy by the tourists who come to see the 100 Antony Gormley sculptures – titled Another Place – that span the length of the beach. Siobhan explains the dangers that catch some visitors out. Dangers that mean the lifeguards – just like the army of statues looking out to sea – must keep vigil, day in, day out. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

Christmas 2021: paraglider Dermot Ryan explains why his best present was from Newhaven RNLI It’s Christmas Eve, and paraglider Dermot has the scary realisation that he is about to swap the sky for the sea. After landing at the foot of a cliff with fellow paraglider, Trevor, both are soon cut off by the incoming tide. Soaked by the crashing waves, Dermot’s body temperature plummets. Newhaven RNLI volunteers are tantalisingly close, but due to the conditions, can’t get close enough. Should Dermot follow Trevor into the water, or take his chances against the sea’s onslaught? 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's James Dwyer Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Martin Stephen has three sons and five grandchildren. He reveals why none of them would be here without the RNLI Martin Stephen and his two younger cousins, Angus and Davy, loved visiting Dunbar Harbour. When the wind blew strong, they’d pull on their welly boots and head down to watch the water crash onto the rocks. But on 23 December 1970, their windy-day ritual was never to be the same again. With the wind blowing gale force 10, Davy got caught by a freak wave. Martin jumped in to try to save him, but the water was too ferocious. With both of them in serious trouble, Angus raised the alarm. Shortly after, the Dunbar lifeboat crew arrived and hauled Martin out of the sea. But tragically, Davy was never found. Fifty-three years on, Martin recalls the terrifying moment when he thought he was going to die, and how this – and Davy’s passing – helped him to appreciate the simplicities of life: health, happiness, and family. He also explains how his rescue led to a career in helping other people – just as the volunteers helped him. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Ireland’s voice of the sea – Tom MacSweeney – on the crew member who made the ultimate sacrifice on Christmas Eve  It was a false alarm with tragic consequences. Tom MacSweeney – maritime journalist and former presenter of RTE’s radio show, Seascapes – tells the story of what happened when RNLI Kilmore Quay volunteers left their loved ones on Christmas Eve 1977 to respond to a call out in their lifeboat, Lady Murphy. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Darren Crew Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

It’s often said that the RNLI is a family. That’s certainly how former priest Tom McGuire feels – the Lough Ree Lifeboat Press Officer has even christened some of the crew  When his wife spotted an advert for Lifeboat Press Officer at Lough Ree RNLI, Tom didn’t hesitate to volunteer. Having previously worked in the area as a priest, he was welcomed into the role by crew he’d married, christened, or played football with.   With a career in broadcast journalism under his belt, Tom talks of his passion for telling the stories of the RNLI, and his deep understanding of the importance of the lifeboat to the community it supports.    200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

From the sea to Spaghetti Junction, Swim Safe’s Ashley Jones teaches children all over the UK to stay safe in and around open water   Most children learn to swim in an indoor pool, but swimming in open water is very different – and it's often when accidents happen. That’s why Swim England and the RNLI partnered to form the Swim Safe programme, which delivers fun and free water safety sessions to children at inland and coastal locations.   Heading up the campaign, Ashley Jones shares top tips to help children stay safe in and around open water – and how ultimately, those messages have helped save lives.    200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Folk singer Seth Lakeman on what inspired him to write the song Solomon Browne in tribute to the Penlee lifeboat crew lost at sea Seth Lakeman grew up surrounded by remarkable stories – whether that be through his father’s career as a journalist, or spending weekends with his family immersed in music at local folk clubs. It was his passion for great stories – and tunes from the folk music community – that inspired his career as a singer-songwriter. Hear Seth talk about how he came to write Solomon Browne – a special song dedicated to those sadly lost in the Penlee lifeboat disaster on 19 December 1981 – and find out how friends from throughout his life have brought him even closer to the RNLI’s lifesaving cause. One of the crew members sadly lost was Stephen Madron. In another episode from our 200 Voices series, Stephen's wife Janet Madron shares her deeply personal account of the Penlee tragedy, and why she still loves being an RNLI volunteer. Listen to Janet's podcast episode to hear her story. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

She’s admired for being a history-making Olympian, but Helen Glover’s own admiration goes to RNLI crews. The Cornish rower explains why Having lived by the sea in Cornwall all her life, Olympic rower Helen Glover has loved the water for as long as she can remember. So it's no surprise that she's long admired the RNLI crews that put their lives on the line to save others. In particular, she singles out the volunteers from Penzance – where Helen grew up – who were tragically lost in the 1981 Penlee lifeboat disaster. In this episode, hear Helen explain why she has so much respect for the selfless RNLI volunteers. And find out which moment during her London 2012 Olympics journey was the most special. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

When 12-year-old Theo Pulman spotted a friend struggling in the water, he remembered the RNLI’s float-to-live advice  It was the school summer holidays. Theo and his friends were enjoying a day at Burry Port Beach, when one of Theo’s friends got into difficulty in the sea. Dashing into the water to help the boy, Theo asked another friend to call 999.   Theo talks about the advice he gave the boy: stay calm and float like a starfish – lifesaving advice his grandfather, Deputy Launch Authority at Burry Port, had passed on. His grandfather is just one of three in Theo’s family at Burry Port RNLI – and if Theo’s brilliant quick-thinking actions are anything to go by, the young lifesaver will one day likely join them. In another episode from our 200 Voices series, Tina Powsey remembered to float like a starfish when she and her friend got into trouble in the water. Listen to Tina’s podcast episode to find out how the RNLI's Float to Live advice saved their lives. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Meet the man who helped develop the first lifejacket to fit both male and female crew  Male. Female. Tall. Short. Light. Heavy. RNLI crew come in every size and shape – and it was RNLI Senior Engineer Allen Steven’s job to work on a lifejacket design to fit every crew member. The first person to acknowledge that one size doesn’t fit all, Allen explains how crew input influenced the lifejacket’s evolution – and the ultimate lifejacket design.    Allen also shares his pride in founding the RNLI Disability Network. After suffering life-threatening injuries in 1987 and living with a brain injury ever since, he’s passionate about championing the voices of those who may not otherwise be heard.    200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Amy Bratley Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Loch Ness may hold a sense of mystery, but tour guide Linda Izquierdo-Ross is in no doubt about its dangers Loch Ness most definitely is home to at least one monster, says RNLI Deputy Launch Authority Linda Izquierdo-Ross. But the one Linda has in mind is not the kind of monster we imagine. The loch is very cold all year round. It provides less buoyancy than salt water, and, due to the peat particles, visibility is next to zero. All of which means, in Linda’s words, that ‘it keeps what it’s given’. So the former crew member – who also works as a tour guide on the loch – knows from experience that there’s no time to lose when someone’s in peril. As a child, Linda herself had to be rescued from drowning, and this prompted the urge to give back. Recently, she was awarded a Red Cross Silver Medal by Prince Albert of Monaco. Let Linda take you on a tour of Loch Ness. At 23 miles long – and, at its deepest point, over 200m deep – it is, she says, ‘a great place to hide’. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

In December, 1981, the St Peter Port lifeboat crew braved 15m waves to go to the aid of stricken cargo ship, the Bonita. The late coxswain – Michael Scales – relives a momentous rescue In the second of two episodes dedicated to one of the RNLI’s finest rescues, the late coxswain of the Sir William Arnold lifeboat – Michael Scales – recalls battling 3-storey swells to help save 29 lives. Arriving at the scene between Guernsey and Devon, the lifeboat was dwarfed by the 8,000-tonne cargo ship, Bonita, listing on its side with its rudder and propeller exposed. The RNLI’s youngest coxswain at the time recalls the night he and his determined crew made no less than 50 attempts to save those on board. The rescue would earn Michael an RNLI Gold Medal for Gallantry, and his entire crew were awarded Bronze Medals. Since this episode was recorded, the Sir William Arnold lifeboat – restored by former fundraiser Colin Trowles – was moved and is now a floating museum in Heybridge Basin, Maldon, Essex. In the first podcast episode dedicated to the Bonita, Nils Fosstveit – one of the crew members that went to the aid of Bonita that night – shares his account of the rescue he’ll never forget. Listen to Nils's episode and watch a short film about the rescue. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Nils Fosstveit takes us back to the night he’ll never forget – and to what was, at the time, the biggest Channel rescue since the Second World War 13 December, 1981: in hurricane-force winds, cargo ship – the Bonita – was sinking off the Channel Islands. 27-year-old Nils Fosstveit was one of 36 crew on board. Not all would survive. Nils did, but in his own words, it was by ‘very small margins’. At one point, losing hope, he and other crew members had thought about voluntarily sliding down the badly listing ship and giving themselves up to the freezing waters. But the crew rallied. Before his escape, Nils, along with others, had to haul an injured man down ladders by rope. Nils then had to jump 15m into the sea. He was one of the last off. In the first of two episodes dedicated to the Bonita, hear Nils’s account of one of the RNLI’s finest rescues. Next, listen to the second episode, where Michael Scales – the late coxswain onboard the lifeboat that went to the aid of Bonita – recalls the momentous rescue. Find out more about the Bonita in this short film. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

A sailor’s boat was sinking on a pitch-black night. As RNLI volunteers searched the waters off Jersey, their only hope was a flicker of light in the distance St Catherine’s Robin Fitzgerald was brushing his teeth when his pager went off. It was a starless, moonless night and with the sailor in the water, time was of the essence. Duty Helm that night, Robin talks about launching to the rescue in total darkness, navigating the looming black shadow of the Ecrehous reef. The rescue was one that Robin will never forget – in part because of the moving message the crew received afterwards. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Having lived in a former boathouse, Nora Flanagan was destined to join the RNLI. In Gaelic, we hear from Arranmore’s first female crew member Speaking in Gaelic, Nora Flanagan describes the old boathouse she grew up in, with the Arranmore lifeboat anchored just outside the door. Though she trained as a nurse in Edinburgh and worked in London, Nora was an islander at heart and returned to Arranmore in 1982. There she joined the all-male lifeboat crew and wasn’t sure what she could offer, until a shout came in for which her nursing skills were called upon – helping Nora realise that everyone has a role to play. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI   Interview by John McCafferty Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

It remains the biggest loss of lifeboat crew in the RNLI’s history – David Forshaw on the 1886 Mexico disaster, and why it was a pivotal moment for the charity On 10 December 1886, 27 lifeboatmen from Lytham St. Annes and Southport tragically lost their lives while attempting to rescue the crew from the German barque Mexico, which had run aground after getting caught in perilous conditions. Those who died left behind 16 widows and 50 children without fathers. A public relief fund was launched to support them, raising £30,000 in a matter of weeks – which included donations from Queen Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm II. Soon after, local businessman Sir Charles Macara and his wife Marion organised the very first Lifeboat Saturday. Thousands of people lined the streets of Manchester and raised over £5,000 for RNLI lifesavers. Due to its success, other towns and cities quickly followed suit. In this episode, David Forshaw, Launch Authority and Lifeboat Press Officer at Lytham St. Annes RNLI, tells the story of what happened on the darkest day in the RNLI’s history, and how it changed the face of fundraising forever. For 200 years, RNLI volunteers have shown incredible courage at sea and have saved more than 144,000 lives – none of which would be possible without kindness from the public. Help us mark this historic milestone in our lifesaving story. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

Michele Jagger explains why having her daughter’s name on the Whitby lifeboat is so special Three weeks before Michele’s daughter, Shannon, sadly passed away, they enjoyed some mother-daughter time in Whitby – one of Michele’s favourite places. As well as having a soft spot for the beautiful seaside town, Michele has always been in awe of the RNLI volunteers that risk their lives to save others. So, when the opportunity arose to add Shannon’s name to the Launch a Memory lifeboat in Whitby – which also happens to be a Shannon class – she knew it was meant to be. In this episode, Michele explains why her daughter was special to so many people, and how she would be over the moon to know that her name is on a lifeboat that will save lives at sea. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

When the RNLI lifeboat Mona capsized, all eight crew members were lost. Robin Smith should’ve been on it In 1959, Robin Smith - who at the time was on the crew at Broughty Ferry RNLI - was due to go out on the Mona lifeboat. As he was getting the lifeboat ready for launch, the ex-coxswain arrived. But as it was the new coxswain’s first call out, it was tradition for the ex-coxswain to go with the crew. So Robin stepped back. And it was that tradition that saved his life. Tragically, the Mona capsized, with all eight crew members losing their lives. Hear Robin talk about what happened on that fateful day, including how the last-minute change of plan was the difference between life and death. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Isobel Noctor Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

Tina Powsey on how she floated to live It was a chilly July morning in Anglesey when Tina and her friend, Mags, headed down to the water for a swim. As they were having fun jumping through the waves, they suddenly realised that the ground had disappeared beneath their feet. They had drifted worryingly far from where they entered the sea. And the next thing they knew, they started drifting from each other. It was only thanks to Tina remembering what she learned in her children’s swimming lessons that her and Mags are both here to tell the tale. In this episode, Tina relives their frightening ordeal and gives thanks for the brave onlooker and RNLI volunteers that helped them. In another episode from our 200 Voices series, 12-year-old Theo Pulman remembered the same lifesaving advice as Tina when his friend got into trouble in the water. Listen to Theo’s podcast episode to find out how the RNLI’s Float to Live advice helped him save his friend’s life. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Jasmin Downs Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

The RNLI’s busiest lifeboat station isn’t on the coast – it’s on the Thames. And when Linda Martin collapsed while on a boat trip, Tower lifesavers launched for the sixth time in one day Linda Martin was with her daughter and grandson on a pleasure boat trip on the Thames when Linda felt faint and collapsed on the floor of the boat. She talks about her memories of that day, the calming presence of the RNLI crew who came to help – and the sense of security they gave her. In a world where it can feel that kindness is in short supply, Linda was struck by the decency of ordinary people – and the heartening fact that the RNLI are there for anyone, whoever you are and whatever the circumstances. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

In his book, The Price of Charity, JP Gallagher calls the RNLI a unique organisation. In this 1970s recording a former Kirkcudbright coxswain explains why What makes lifeboat volunteers leave their beds in the middle of the night to go to the aid of someone they don’t even know? Former Kirkcudbright RNLI Coxswain George Davidson gets to the root of the ethos shared by all those responsible for a lifeboat’s launch. And reminds us that this dedicated group extends way beyond the lifeboat station. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Holyhead volunteer Graham Drinkwater MBE on helping to save 19 lives at 19-years-old Graham Drinkwater’s first ever lifeboat rescue takes some beating. On 2 December 1966, at just 19-years-old, the Holyhead lifeboat volunteer went to the aid of the crew aboard the stricken Nafsiporos Greek cargo ship in a raging storm and 100mph winds. Graham shares his memories of the rescue, being on the lifeboat alongside Harold ‘Hurricane’ Harvey – and bringing the survivors ashore in time for a Christmas party at the local hotel. The rescue earned Graham a Bronze Medal for Gallantry – an award he never expected. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by RNLI’s Eleanor Driscoll    Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

The sailor who overcomes cerebral palsy to raise thousands for the RNLI Determined. Courageous. Dedicated. All words that describe Natasha – a sailor from the Isle of Wight, born with athetoid cerebral palsy – whose sailing adventures have helped raise an incredible £28K for the RNLI. Natasha’s condition means she needs help 24 hours a day, but sailing gives her a great sense of freedom. It’s something she can make decisions about independently – and we hear why it means so much to her. Learn about the sailing school that she set up to help people with similar needs to experience the same feeling of freedom she enjoys. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

RNLI Gold Medals don’t come along very often. Nor do men like Dic Evans, who earned two of them. Travel back to 1966 and angry Anglesey seas In this archive recording, RNLI lifeboat volunteers recall the dramatic rescue of the crew who were on board the Greek cargo ship Nafsiporos during a violent storm on 2 December 1966. One of the lifesavers was the late Moelfre Coxswain Richard ‘Dic’ Evans, who received a Gold Medal for Gallantry for the rescue – the highest accolade awarded by the RNLI. Also braving the hurricane conditions that day were the late Lieutenant Commander Harold Harvey (RNLI Inspector for Lifeboats for the North-West) and Moelfre crew member Captain J D Jeavons, who recalls an order to break out the rum to ‘preserve body and soul’ after the arduous rescue. Read more about what happened on the night of the Nafsiporos rescue. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Ireland’s legendary Olympian says the RNLI really is about saving every one In December 1956, Ronnie Delany won a gold medal in the 1500m race at the Olympics in Melbourne. Now 87, and a Vice President of the RNLI, Ronnie takes pride in how he competed for an all-Ireland country as an athlete, and in how, through his work with the RNLI, he’s supporting an all-Ireland charity. He talks of how the RNLI is apolitical in Ireland, of extraordinary friendships he’s made, and says the charity’s commitment to saving lives at sea is ‘a beautiful thing’. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Speaking in Scots Gaelic, a Mallaig RNLI crew member reminds us that not all who need saving are in the water. Welcome to Na Garbh Chriochan (The Rough Bounds) The train line in these parts – on Scotland’s west coast – is known as the Harry Potter line, and is considered one of the most scenic in the world. It’s where film-makers shot the Hogwarts Express scenes. The area – opposite the Isle of Skye – is a remote wilderness with a daunting landscape. Hence the name it goes by: The Rough Bounds. Many places in this part of the world are only accessible by boat. In Scottish Gaelic, RNLI Mallaig Coxswain Michael Ian Currie recounts a call out to a lighthouse on the island of Ornsay. On this particular evening, the danger wasn’t the conditions – it was diabetes. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

There are more men that have walked on the moon than there are women who have completed the world’s toughest solo sailing race. Pip Hare is one of those women The Vendée Globe sailing race is as much about mental strength as physical strength. It requires participants to race around the world, non-stop and alone. And Pip Hare is just the eighth woman on Earth to have completed it. In this episode, the speed-sailing record-holder reveals what it takes to get through it. Pip may have been alone aboard her yacht, but she doesn’t underestimate the value of her team – like RNLI crews, she places complete trust in both her colleagues and her vessel. Hear Pip talk about the importance of being a role model in the world of ocean racing – something that has traditionally been male-dominated. As Pip says, the sea doesn’t care what you look like. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Katie Beney Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Captain of the student rescue service at Atlantic College from 1971 to 1972, Dagfinn Paust recalls the teenagers who saved lives on a treacherous stretch of coast  The old RNLI lifeboat station at the innovative Atlantic College in South Wales was run by a student crew for 50 years. Dagfinn Paust, a student at the college from 1970 to 1972, shares his memories of college life, about which he’s co-written a book with fellow ex-students Phil Green and Anne Perkins, called ‘Trained and Trusted – what teenagers can do if you let them.’ Dagfinn shares a rescue he’ll never forget, when he saved the life of a young boy cut off by the tide. It was a rescue conducted in darkness, in rough seas and when he was just 18 years old.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Putting lifeboat crew through their paces in thunder, lightning, and rain – it’s all in a day’s work for RNLI Sea Survival Centre trainer Matias Wapinski From training as a rescue swimmer in Argentina, to being a dive instructor in Iceland and a lifeguard in the UK, Matias Wapinski’s credentials are impressive. They’re skills he puts into practice to train volunteer RNLI crew from all over the UK and Ireland, in the Sea Survival Centre at the RNLI College. He talks about the determination and commitment of the crew he meets – and about how sometimes the training pushes them to face their worst fears. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

How do you find a lone rower who’s in a small boat? In the Outer Hebrides? At night? During John Maclennan’s 25 years as an RNLI crew member, Stornoway volunteers saved 122 lives. He has battled hurricanes, and knows how it feels to be on a boat when it falls the height of a house. But one rescue in particular has stayed with him. An 80-year-old man was missing after he had gone out alone in a small boat on Loch Shell. The crew had searched all night, and their hopes were fading. Then John decided to turn on the searchlight one last time… 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

There's a reindeer in the kitchen – what are we going to do?! Settle down for The Big Christmas Rescue, read by Chris Jarvis It's Christmas Eve, and Santa's in trouble. Before a reindeer and the RNLI can save the day, they're going to need the help of a very special child. Make your child’s bedtime extra magical by ordering a personalised copy of this beautifully illustrated story book and transform them into the main character of an exciting lifeboat adventure. When you order the book, you can specify the child’s name, gender and skin tone and they’ll be made into the hero, who - along with Rudolph and the RNLI - saves Santa. And Christmas Day.  Order your personalised copy here or via the link below. Every pound and euro of profit helps save more lives.  https://shop.rnli.org/products/the-big-christmas-rescue Written by Rory Stamp Illustrated by Hannah Lawson 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200        

In 1838, Grace Darling became the first woman to be awarded an RNLI medal. Descendant Ken Skehan shares her story Ken Skehan is immensely proud of his internationally famous ancestor, Grace Darling. He shares stories of her life, from her hard existence living in a lighthouse, to her rescue of survivors from the shipwrecked Forfarshire in 1838. Grace’s part in the rescue thrust her into the spotlight and even gained her the attention of Queen Victoria, but it wasn’t recognition Grace cared for. ‘Duty before self’ was part of her DNA – a characteristic shared by RNLI volunteers. Learn more about Grace Darling. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

Broadcaster and journalist Ben Shephard talks about what inspired him to write the book Humble Heroes: Inspirational stories of hope, heart and humanity Fascinated by ordinary people who quietly take it upon themselves to make the world a better place, Ben Shephard has written a book to record their stories. Among the humble heroes celebrated by Ben are RNLI crew from Port Isaac, where Ben spent much of his childhood. To Ben, the lifeboat station and volunteers are the heart and soul of the village. Hear him talk about a moving rescue which remains in his thoughts.    200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by RNLI’s Katie Beney Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

Meet the man who has served the RNLI for 50 years – a quarter of its existence Richard Adams joined the RNLI on the 29 May 1973. He left school on a Thursday, started at the RNLI the following Tuesday, and has been at the charity ever since! He talks about the changes he’s seen, and about the things that have remained the same – such as the stapler he has kept on his desk since 1974. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by RNLI’s Eleanor Driscoll   Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

The most successful sailor in Olympic history on the importance of never giving up    He might have won multiple Olympic medals, but British sailor Sir Ben Ainslie still gets caught out by the sea. Hear him talk about being rescued by the RNLI, and the necessity of having grit and determination to get through challenging conditions – traits he shares with lifeboat crew.   An RNLI ambassador, Sir Ben also reflects on his lifelong connection to the charity, from being rescued with his family as a child, to the laying of the foundation stone at the RNLI College in 2004 and a memorable visit to Bembridge Lifeboat Station.   200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by the RNLI's Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Meet the Devon fundraiser who’s been sailing for nearly 100 years Elaine Gray began sailing when she was just 3 years old. Her love of the water remains a constant, and even at 100, Elaine still paddles in her kayak around Salcombe Harbour. Generations have followed in her footsteps – her daughter is a keen sailor, and her grandson is part of the crew at Salcombe Lifeboat Station.  In 2022, Elaine had planned to do a kayaking challenge to raise funds for the RNLI, but was thwarted by bad weather. After this recording, in September 2023, Elaine picked up her paddle once more. Undeterred and another year sprightlier, the centenarian got back in the water, kayaking from Whitestrand to the old lifeboat station at South Sands. Alongside her was the Salcombe RNLI lifeboat. And on board, watching on proudly, was her grandson, Jeff.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by the RNLI's Eleanor Driscoll Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

Paul Weston, lifesaver and singer with RNLI Portishead’s sea shanty band, on singing for HM King Charles III  When Paul Weston joined the Portishead crew 15 years ago, he thought it would be a great way to get out on the water and meet some new people. But he never imagined that it would lead to representing the RNLI at the Coronation Concert.  During lockdown, six sea-going Portishead volunteers separately sang and recorded a sea shanty in hope of lifting their spirits. When they edited their parts together, and realised they sounded rather good, The 85ers was born.  Named after the station’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat, the shanty band went from recording songs in their own homes to performing at various events, including the Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival and – their greatest surprise of all – the Coronation Concert. In this episode, hear Paul talk about how it felt to sing for the HM King Charles III.   200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200  

Losing a family member to drowning is shocking enough. But it’s even more shocking when the person is fit, prepared and confident around the water. Two sisters explain what happened to their younger brother  Haydn was no novice around the water. The 23-year-old was a sailor, a scuba diver and a paddleboarder, and knew about the tides. Which made things all the more unbelievable for sisters Megan and Brogan Griffiths when they received the news that their younger brother had drowned near Hoylake.  Megan and Brogan – who took part in the RNLI’s Mayday Mile in their brother’s memory – say that if drowning can happen to someone like Haydn, it can happen to anyone. Hear about their campaigning water safety work and the wish they have as a result of the tragedy.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by the RNLI's Hatti Mellor Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Around 140 people drown in UK and Irish waters each year. Guy Addington MBE explains the RNLI’s efforts to reduce that number  Sadly, drowning isn’t something that only happens at sea – rivers and inland waterways claim lives too. Which is why the RNLI has five inland lifeboat stations and another four on the Thames. Regional Water Safety Lead – and RNLI Margate Helm – Guy Addington highlights the charity’s measures to reduce the number of fatalities, such as the throwline initiative.   Guy attended the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Hear him talk also about that moving experience, and about a downright brutal one – showering outside in cold water for a whole year. Why did he do such a thing?  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by the RNLI's Darren Crew Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

The photographer who’s also a crew member – Nigel Millard on knowing when to put down his camera and pick up a rope There’s a reason why Nigel Millard’s photos of lifeboat rescues capture just what it’s like to be a crew member – Nigel is one of them. The award-winning photographer has been capturing the selfless work of RNLI volunteers for over 25 years, but wearing two ‘helmets’ takes careful judgement. Hear why sometimes the camera has to stay in the bag. Nigel’s dramatic shots and candid studies can be seen in the books The Lifeboat: Courage on our Coasts, and Face to Face: Ocean Portraits. But which photo is the Torbay crew member's favourite? And why? Learn more about Nigel’s work here, or visit: https://www.nigelmillard.com/ 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by the RNLI's Eleanor Driscoll Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200  

The lady with RNLI blood in her veins – Rye fundraiser Betty Broocks on why she devoted 55 years to the charity   15 November marks the anniversary of the 1928 Rye Harbour lifeboat tragedy, in which the 17-strong crew of the Mary Stanford lifeboat drowned. A memorial service in honour of the crew takes place every year – the church packed with people, with more spilling outside.   200 Voices hears from Betty Broocks, 91, who lost family members in the tragedy. She was born just 3 years later, and the legacy of that loss drove Betty to become not simply a fundraiser, but now officially the RNLI’s President of all the Fundraisers. Betty is also the founder of the Lifeboat Ladies – a group of crew’s wives dedicated to saving lives at sea.   200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200  

How do you design a memorial that symbolises 200 years of sacrifice? Sculptor Sam Holland shares the inspiration for her beacon of hope There are numerous local memorials that pay tribute to those who have lost their lives at sea in the cause of saving others. But until 2009, there was no single memorial. The brief for the RNLI Memorial sculpture in Poole stated that it should celebrate those both lost and saved, along with those who go to the rescue. Sam Holland - the sculptor behind the memorial - reveals the idea behind her design. Beneath Sam’s sculpture are the names of over 800 volunteers lost since the early 1800s. New names are still coming to light, and being added. In most cases, those listed saved the lives of others before losing their own. The names are exposed yet resistant to the elements, much like the lifeboat crews who venture out, knowing that ‘With courage, nothing is impossible’. See the list of those remembered, or visit the page using the link below: https://rnli.org/about-us/our-history/rnli-memorial/names   200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

40 years on from the helicopter crash in which he lost his family, Howard Goddard remembers the man who helped save six lives, including his own In 1983, 11-year-old Howard Goddard lost his entire family when, in thick fog, the helicopter they were flying in crashed into the sea off the Scilly Isles. Howard reveals how he and five others survived the crash, how the St. Mary’s RNLI lifeboat crew found them, and what the RNLI means to him and his two sons. Matt Lethbridge, the highly decorated coxswain of the lifeboat that day, sadly passed away in 2010. After the crash, Matt gave Howard a special gift. 40 years on from the tragedy, it’s the first thing Howard sees when he gets up each new day. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by the RNLI's Darren Crew Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Connor Freeman remembers Tyler Westlake When the sea started to get choppy while Tyler Westlake and his two friends were fishing, they decided to move to a better spot. But before they had the chance to, out of nowhere, a huge wave crashed on top of them. Tyler’s friends managed to stay on the rocks. But when they looked around, Tyler was gone. RNLI crews did everything they could to find Tyler. But after a 2-day search, Tyler’s best friend, Connor Freeman, received the heartbreaking news that no friend should ever have to hear. In this episode, Connor tells the devastating story of how he lost his best pal to the sea. But he also explains how Tyler’s story has given him a newfound appreciation for selfless RNLI volunteers. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

In 1942, a quirk of fate helped Dennis Lendrem survive a torpedo attack that his two friends did not. 81 years on, his son reveals how he reunited Dennis, Jack and Jock When, during the Second World War, the call of nature led Able Seaman Dennis Lendrem to the upper deck of HMS Medway, it turned out to be a moment of chance that would save his life. After two torpedoes hit, the order was given to abandon ship. Dennis jumped into the water, but survived. His two friends – ‘Jack’ and ‘Jock’ – did not. After Dennis died in 2003, his ashes were scattered at sea by RNLI Hartlepool. In the year that Dennis would have turned 100, hear why Dennis’s son – also called Dennis – decided to add ‘Pop’s’ name to a lifeboat as part of the RNLI’s Launch a Memory campaign. And learn how it has brought families, united by the same tragedy, together. Learn more about the RNLI's extraordinary efforts in the Second World War in a special episode of Saving Lives at Sea, presented by Dermot O'Leary. Search Series 9: Episode 1 on BBC iPlayer or visit https://tinyurl.com/4cryn54u 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Acclaimed musician Phil Coulter on the writing of an RNLI anthem When his brother tragically drowned while windsurfing in Lough Swilly, Ireland, in 1984, musician Phil Coulter was determined to make a change. He was instrumental in the setting up of Lough Swilly Lifeboat Station. And through raising funds and spreading awareness of the devastating drowning tragedies that had happened at the lough – tragedies that also included his sister – the station opened 3 years later. In 1989, Phil wrote his song ‘Home from the Sea’ – which has become a much-loved RNLI anthem. In this episode, Phil shares his inspiration for it, along with his thoughts about RNLI crews both past and present. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Kevin Kirkpatrick’s family have been volunteering at Longhope RNLI for 150 years. How does he feel about his daughter carrying on the tradition? 2024 won’t just be a big year for the RNLI – it’ll be a big year for Longhope Lifeboat Station too, as it reaches its 150th ‘birthday’. In all that time, a member of the Kirkpatrick family has been among the crew. For former Longhope Coxswain Kevin Kirkpatrick, the RNLI has been a huge part of his life ever since he started volunteering in his early twenties. Today, his daughter is keeping the tradition going. As well as speaking about the emotions that this stirs up, Kevin relives some of his most memorable rescues. He also reveals that the sense of togetherness that was formed after the disaster in 1969 - in which all eight lifeboat crew members were lost - is still felt in the community to this day. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Not all museums are musty and dusty. Since its renovation, Whitby Lifeboat Museum has been drawing a crowd. Its curator tells us why In the first year after its renovation, Whitby Lifeboat Museum saw over 20,000 visitors. New audiences have been drawn by visual and interactive storytelling as well as painstakingly restored artefacts. Museum Curator Neil Williamson reveals his three favourite exhibits, including a suitcase that belonged to Mary Roberts, a survivor of the Titanic. It wouldn’t be the only disaster that Mary and her suitcase would survive... 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200  

When winds pushed paddleboarder Sheena Thompson further and further out to sea, she shouted to her husband, who was on shore. Worryingly, he couldn’t hear her cries for help While at the beach near Wick in Scotland, Sheena Thompson took her new paddleboard into the water, with the intention of staying in for just a few minutes. But the wind was much stronger than she anticipated, and she quickly started drifting out to sea. With no lifejacket or mobile phone, and too far out for her husband to hear her shouting for help, Sheena was in trouble. Hear Sheena relive the terrifying moment when she lost control of her paddleboard. She also shares important guidance for staying safe on a paddleboard – things she wishes she had known before heading out that day. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by James Dwyer Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

In 200 years, the RNLI has seen many changes. We hear from the man who played a key role in transforming it into the organisation we know today From launching the concept of prevention to pushing for cutting-edge technology, Michael Vlasto OBE made his mark on the RNLI during his 38-year career, which included 16 years as Operations Director. In this episode, Michael reflects on how the organisation evolved under his watch – a period that would see the introduction of the charity’s lifeguard service, hovercrafts, and lifeboats on the Thames. During this time, the RNLI would go from being a European lifeboats service to an international lifesaving organisation. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Tynemouth artist and Coxswain Mark Taylor on his twin inspirations – his late father and the north-east coastline For artist and Coxswain Mark Taylor, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. He takes great inspiration from his late father, who was a successful artist and helped save lives at sea on Blyth lifeboat.  Not only did Mark grow up watching his father race down to the lifeboat station, he also enjoyed watching him paint. This ignited Mark’s love for the sea and north-east coastline – both of which went on to have a huge influence on his career. In this episode, Mark talks about how he continues his father’s legacy through his seascape paintings and work on the Severn class lifeboats, and how he felt after his most memorable rescue.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI  Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls  The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200 

Since RNLI lifeguards started patrolling in 2001, they’ve saved over 1,900 lives. Peter Dawes explains how he helped them do it RNLI lifeguards patrol over 240 beaches around Britain, Ireland and the islands that surround us. But this wasn’t always the case. The charity’s General Manager for Lifeguard Operations, Peter Dawes, reveals how the service came about, and explains how the RNLI has evolved from a position of importing expertise to exporting it. Many lifeguards work the fabled ‘endless summer’, and it’s not unusual to find an RNLI-trained lifeguard keeping vigil on the other side of the world. Hear why it’s not always the best swimmer who makes the best lifeguard. And discover how Peter once found himself stranded in a tree over a raging river. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Darren Crew Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

When his plane’s engine lost power, Duncan Laisney had to ditch into the sea Former RAF Tornado pilot Duncan Laisney had never trained to ditch an aircraft. So, when an engine failure during a training flight meant he had to ditch into the sea near Jersey, he faced a scary realisation. After Duncan – and co-pilot Paul – started their descent, everything happened incredibly quickly. In 2½ minutes they were in the water. A surge of waves enveloped the plane, and after they climbed into their liferaft they watched the plane sink nose-first – leaving them in the eerie quietness of the empty sea.   Hear Duncan relive the moments before landing. And discover how he and Paul lived to tell the tale. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Why working in the RNLI’s Inshore Lifeboat Centre has given Janine Groves the confidence to tackle any job. Apart from catching spiders When Janine Groves joined the RNLI at 19, she had no idea about what’s involved in building a boat. But she quickly learned the ropes, working her way up to Section Leader and now Production Support Manager on the Isle of Wight, where she leads the team who build, repair, and maintain our inshore fleet. Hear Janine talk about how proud she feels to be part of an organisation that saves lives, and how her inspiring career as a woman in engineering has given her – and her daughters – the confidence to achieve (almost) anything they put their minds to.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI  Interview by Jasmin Downs   Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls  The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200 

The 72-year-old RNLI lifeguard who’s still going strong Meet Chris Lewis MBE, the RNLI’s oldest lifeguard. When Chris tried to become an RNLI lifeguard, the rules of the day meant that he was too old. Undeterred, Chris passed the RNLI’s stringent fitness tests and has never looked back. At 72, why does he still do it? And what advice would he give to other aspiring lifeguards who might like to do ‘the best job in the world'? Chris has been keeping people safe on Bournemouth Beach for 58 years. For his incredible lifesaving work, Chris was recently awarded an official Guinness World Records title: the longest career as a lifeguard. Interested in being a frontline lifesaver? Like Chris, you can help keep beachgoers safe. Find out how to become a lifeguard and learn more about what’s involved in this unique and rewarding job. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Darren Crew Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Should you suddenly find yourself in very cold water, your survival could be determined within the first few seconds. Pioneering researcher Professor Mike Tipton MBE explains why Since the Titanic sank in 1912, hypothermia has largely been considered the main danger facing those exposed to very cold water. But sea-survival expert Mike Tipton’s research has revealed that the prime threat is actually cold water shock. Anything below 15°C is defined as cold water and can seriously affect your breathing and movement, so the risk is significant most of the year. The average UK and Ireland sea temperature is 12°C – rivers are colder, even in summer. Professor Tipton shares the simple tips that could one day save your life. Learn more at RNLI.org/safety/float Watch Professor Tipton’s video about the science behind Float to Live.     Or follow the links:    https://rnli.org/safety/float https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bLRr6OOhn0 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Darren Crew Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

In 1914, the WW1 hospital ship Rohilla was wrecked off the Whitby coast. Pete Thomson MBE tells us about one of the biggest rescues in RNLI history When a World War One hospital ship broke into three off the Yorkshire coast, the weather was so bad that lifeboats couldn’t launch directly into the sea. Not to be defeated, RNLI volunteers dragged one lifeboat a quarter of a mile, and lowered another down a 60m cliff. Ex-coxswain and former Whitby Lifeboat Museum Curator Pete Thomson – whose father witnessed the 3-day rescue operation – reveals the fate of the 228 on board the Rohilla. He even knows what happened to the ship’s cat. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

How do you search for someone in the middle of the sea in the middle of the night? We asked Tenby lifeboat crew member, Ben James Research has shown that when one of our senses is compromised, others become more heightened. Tenby crew member Ben James talks about the challenges of finding someone at night, and about how the kit that crews rely on includes eyes and ears adjusting to the inky blackness. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Veteran lifeboat Coxswain/Mechanic Nicky King on why Wells RNLI is set to save lives well into the future At the last station to launch boats using horses, there’s a brand new lifeboat in town. And it’s in the care of Nicky King, who’s served at Wells-next-the-Sea for 34 years. Nicky introduces us to the Shanonn class lifeboat Duke of Edinburgh that bears thousands of loved ones’ names – part of the RNLI’s Launch a Memory initiative. Life in Norfolk may move at a gentle pace (or so Nicky says), but all that changes when lives are on the line. You’ll soon understand why, in the gripping story of a shout in which 2 lives were saved in 5 minutes. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200  

Meet the 11-year-old lifeguard-in-the-making who saved a boy from drowning Proud RNLI member Finley loves the stack of Storm Force magazines in his bedroom. But it was on the beach in Cornwall that our water safety tips really leapt off the page. Remembering the Float to Live message shared by Stormy Stan and his cartoon gang, Finley was able to spot the signs of someone in danger and calmly work out what to do. In this episode, Finley tells us what it means to be part of the RNLI’s club for kids, and how a gift from his nan turned him into a lifesaver. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by the RNLI's Isobel Noctor Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Why Cardigan RNLI’s lifeboat was named after the Paralympian Gold medallist Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson can’t remember a time when she didn’t know about the lifeboats. So, when she prepared to race in the London Marathon, family connections and childhood memories made the RNLI the obvious choice for fundraising. Before long, a letter would arrive with an unforgettable invitation. From the streets of London to the Ceredigion coast, Tanni explains why she feels in awe of the crews and proud of the Atlantic 75 lifeboat that saved lives in her name. You’ll also discover why one memorable launch became a turning point for the RNLI’s history in Wales. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by the RNLI's Eleanor Driscoll Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Nick McCaffrey – aerial videographer for TV’s Wild Isles – on life at the RNLI’s most northerly lifeboat station Sometimes, the wild weather around the Shetlands is a sight to see, and can make Aith Lifeboat Crew Member Nick McCaffrey feel like he is in the middle of Armageddon. Nick has experienced 100mph winds, and even on a calm, flat day, he warns, it’s easy to get caught out. The weather isn’t the only spectacle though, and sightings of dolphins, basking sharks and even killer whales are not uncommon. Nick’s ‘day job’ as a videographer made him the ideal person to capture the wildlife for David Attenborough’s series, Wild Isles. Let him introduce you to ‘the locals’.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

RNLI crews have been saving lives for two hundred years. For more than half of that time, a member of the Grant family has been among them In 2024, Doug Grant’s family will have served with the RNLI for a grand total of 125 years – a history decorated with award-winning rescues. Kessock volunteer Doug talks about a proud family tradition spanning four generations, starting with his grandfather, Jack. If Jack were alive today, how would he react if he were to learn that his grandson Johnny is now also part of the RNLI family, as a coxswain/mechanic at Wick? 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Meet the former Tobermory volunteer called away from her own wedding RNLI crew drop everything at a moment’s notice to answer the call for help – even on their wedding day. Former Tobermory volunteer Rose Skelton reflects on her big day. Her wife’s family had travelled 4,000 miles for the occasion. RNLI crew members formed a guard of honour. And pipers escorted the newlyweds down the Mull streets. Then, just as she was getting ready for her wedding ceilidh, Rose’s pager went off… 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Former Lyme Regis lifesaver Ken Gollop on the pre-launch adrenaline felt by every crew member Some things are just in the blood. Like many RNLI volunteers, Ken Gollop is one of a long line of lifesavers from the same family. His great-grandfather, grandfather and father were all members of the old pulling lifeboat in Lyme until 1932. So when Ken and his brother joined up, they were doing what came naturally. Hear about his instinctive nightly ritual – a habit he couldn’t shake even after he left the crew. Before Ken went to sleep at night, it wasn’t his slippers that he kept by the bed. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

How does it feel to send your own daughter on a rescue mission? Bill Dewsbury should know – both his daughters are on the RNLI Flint crew When the pager goes off at 3am, Flint Lifeboat Deputy Launch Authority Bill Dewsbury isn’t the only one who has to get out the door as fast as possible – both of his daughters do too. Bill talks about his family’s commitment to the RNLI, and of having to leave the dad/daughter relationship at home. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

The sports stars who save lives: Paddy McLaughlin, the man behind the RNLI’s partnership with Ireland’s GAA, on the impact it’s made After a devastating drowning in County Cork, RNLI Coxswain Paddy McLaughlin devised a way to reach young people with vital water safety messages. Hear Paddy talk about the power of partnering with the Gaelic Athletics Association, life as crew and how community engagement is helping to inspire the next generation of lifesavers. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

The RNLI’s all-weather lifeboats are all named after rivers. Naval Architect Peter Eyre explains what’s so special about the Shannon Peter Eyre talks about the challenges of designing a lifeboat capable of heading into extreme conditions – a lifeboat that can even self-right. Above all, he tells us, it’s about engineering the safety of the crew.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

A former Salcombe coxswain recalls the day his lifeboat capsized A big sea. Huge, breaking waves. When former RNLI Coxswain Frank Smith and crew went to the rescue of divers in distress, sea conditions were dire. Frank relives the hair-raising, disorientating moment that the lifeboat turned upside down in the waves, and recounts the search for a man washed overboard… 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Three years after the Titanic, 1200 lives were lost when the RMS Lusitania was torpedoed. 200 Voices talks to the grandson of the last living survivor On 7 May, 1915, en route from New York to Liverpool, the luxury passenger liner Lusitania was torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Cork. Lusitania sank within 18 minutes. Yet, against the odds, 3-month-old Audrey Lawson Johnston survived. Audrey’s grandson, Mark Hudson, recounts what happened that day. When RNLI Courtmacsherry volunteers rowed for more than 3 hours to reach the area, it would be the start of the family’s long association with the RNLI. Audrey remained an ardent RNLI fundraiser all her life, helping to raise enough money for a lifeboat at New Quay. It wouldn’t be the only lifeboat funded by the family. And when, in September 2023, Audrey LJ was retired from service, Mark and 20 others embarked on a fitting farewell. The money raised by the Tour de Dyfed and West Glamorgan will be shared equally by the lifeboat stations at New Quay and Tower. To donate, visit Mark’s JustGiving page or follow the link: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/rnli-tour-de-dyfed-2023 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI     Interview by Adventurous Audio   Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls     The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200    

No stranger to mammoth challenges, globe-trotting sailor Dee Caffari reveals how the RNLI is planning to move to a more sustainable future  Not all of us live close to the sea. But we are all connected to it. Hear about the RNLI’s aims to lessen its environmental impact from professional sailor Dee Caffari, who is Chair of the RNLI’s Sustainability Special Interest Group. As the RNLI looks to the next 200 years, Dee talks about the charity’s ambitious plans. What will future search and rescue services look like?   Read more about the RNLI’s targets here or follow the link:  https://rnli.org/magazine/magazine-featured-list/2021/july/here-today-here-tomorrow-sustainability-at-the-rnli  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI     Interview by Adventurous Audio   Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls     The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200      

There are 238 RNLI lifeboat stations, and Harry Bott set out to visit all of them on a 96-year-old Sunbeam motorcycle Like all the best adventures, it started with a treasure map. This map just happened to be printed on a tea towel. The map – pinpointing all 238 RNLI lifeboat stations – led fundraiser Harry Bott to a granite barn in Cornwall. Inside, rested his great-grandfather’s 1926 Sunbeam Model 1 motorcycle – untouched for 67 years, and almost half as old as the RNLI itself. Harry, with help from his father, set about restoring the Sunbeam before embarking on an 8,000-mile trip around the coastlines of Britain and Ireland, visiting every RNLI lifeboat station along the way. As the donations poured in, his original fundraising target would be left in pieces. But would the Sunbeam be left in pieces too?     200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200               

Artist Kurt Jackson on what moved him to celebrate the work of the RNLI Ever since 8 members of the Penlee Lifeboat crew were lost at sea in 1981, the original Penlee RNLI boathouse has been left just as it was. Cornwall-based artist Kurt Jackson shares what it was like to step inside the listed building as he set out to portray the poignant scene inside. His paintings formed part of the RNLI Cornwall exhibition, 75 pieces that capture lifeboats nestled into the coastline, as well as lifeguards watching over local beaches so familiar to Kurt. Hear how the raw and natural beauty of the Cornish landscape has influenced his work. A selection Kurt's RNLI paintings – including the studies produced at the old Penlee Lifeboat Station – will be exhibited at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth from March 2024.  View samples from the RNLI Cornwall collection View paintings from the RNLI Penlee series RNLI Cornwall catalogue Or follow the links: https://www.jacksonfoundationgallery.com/rnli/ https://www.jacksonfoundationgallery.com/penlee/ https://www.kurtjackson.com/news-020922/ To learn more about Kurt, visit kurtjackson.com 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200         

RNLI lifeboats venture up to 100 miles offshore. But some reach as far as Uruguay Dave Whiddon has rowed the Atlantic, spending 60 days in a cramped boat to raise funds for the RNLI. But he's always looking for the next challenge. After 6 years in the Royal Marines, life landed him on Dorset shores as he helped to design the first training courses at the RNLI College. Listen as Dave takes you through his fascinating career. His changing roles chart the development of the RNLI’s international work, which includes sending retired lifeboats overseas to help fellow rescuers save more lives in their home countries. You may enjoy this episode with a cup of tea – just watch out for those flying fish… 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Poet and Lough Derg Lifeboat Helm Eleanor Hooker reads her 200th anniversary poem, and reveals the inspiration behind it When Eleanor Hooker was invited to write a poem to mark the RNLI’s 200th anniversary, she knew a sugary tribute wasn’t her style. It couldn’t capture the tangle of raw emotions she’d witnessed first-hand on lifeboat rescues. Instead, she drew on her own experience of being saved. Find a quiet moment to listen to this episode; let Eleanor’s evocative storytelling transport you to the dark waters of Lough Derg and the calm she found there, floating. Hear how the crew insulate themselves against the ‘rabid creature’ that is fear – and find out why a smile is a priceless piece of crew kit. Read Eleanor’s full poem or follow this link: https://rnli.org/magazine/magazine-featured-list/2023/october/200-voices-eleanor-hooker 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Khadija Shariff explains how the RNLI’s mission to save every one has helped save lives as far away as East Africa Made up of two main islands – Unguya and Pemba – Zanzibar is a country where daily life and livelihoods are focused around the sea. Khadija Shariff explains why so many lives here are touched by drowning, whether in headline disasters like the sinking of the Spice Islander ferry, or by the private family tragedies that go unrecorded. As Chair of the Panje Project, Khadija shares the hope she feels in its 10th year teaching children to swim and sharing sea safety advice. She celebrates the discoveries the team have made in partnership with the RNLI, which will help end preventable tragedies in other countries. Learn more about the work we're doing with the Panje Project to help keep children safe in and around Tanzanian waters. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by James Bonney Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

‘The crew saved a life – and it was mine.’ A Newbiggin volunteer on the camaraderie to be found down at the lifeboat station When Steve Harris first walked through the doors of the oldest operational lifeboat boathouse in the UK, it felt like coming home. Steve explains how the strong bonds between the crew have helped him through difficult times. And shares how it feels to be a custodian of a lifesaving legacy. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Five years before the Titanic, the biggest rescue in RNLI history resulted in 456 lives saved. A descendant of one survivor plunges us into towering seas Galen Bartholomew sometimes worries his family will get bored of his research into their ancestors. But when he began to investigate a long-forgotten family story of shipwreck, he made a fascinating discovery. Galen’s great-aunt and great-grandmother had been survivors of the Suevic, a White Star Line steamship wrecked off Lizard Point in 1907. From newspaper stories to official reports, Galen reveals the moving new details he is still uncovering – and shares his growing admiration for the RNLI volunteers, steamship crew and Cornish folk who ensured every single life was saved. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Why are black children three times more likely to drown than white children? Discover how a personal realisation about protecting family sparked a movement to save countless lives. A drowning tragedy on Christmas Eve 2019 made Danielle Obe realise she had to educate her own family about the risks. Black and Asian communities have largely been excluded from swimming sports – and even the basic survival skills to stay safe around water. Now the Black Swimming Association (BSA) is changing the narrative. From myth-busting research to Blue Hour safety sessions, you’ll hear how the RNLI and BSA’s allyship ensures everyone is involved in drowning prevention. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Artist Maria Barbashina on the different strokes it takes to run a lifeboat station. Despite diverse backgrounds, it’s all about the mission When Maria Barbashina settled in Lyme Regis, painting portraits of the town’s RNLI volunteers was her first introduction to the lifeboat community. Maria talks about her creative approach, and the stories that reveal themselves when subjects sit for a portrait. The resulting exhibition showed the whole supporting cast that stands behind each rescue. But it wasn’t until Maria volunteered as crew that she really got to know the team, by saving lives alongside them. In this episode she reflects on the responsibility of the role, the rewards of feeling ‘useful’ – and why pagers make the world a better place. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

The true story of the Second World War veteran who went absent without leave to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day Bernard Jordan survived not only Dunkirk, but D-Day too. So when, aged 89, and living in a care home in Hove, he was told that he couldn’t attend the event marking the 70-year anniversary of D-Day in France, Bernard had other ideas. The Great Escaper, a new film starring Michael Caine and the late Glenda Jackson, is the moving story of a Second World War veteran’s last hurrah. The writer of the film, William Ivory, shares his thoughts on the events that inspired the movie. And offers his view on why Bernard and his wife, Rene, left their entire estate to the RNLI. Watch the trailer for The Great Escaper here or visit thegreatescaper.film Learn more about the RNLI's extraordinary efforts in the Second World War in a special episode of Saving Lives at Sea, presented by Dermot O'Leary. Search Series 9: Episode 1 on BBC iPlayer or visit https://tinyurl.com/4cryn54u 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI  Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls  The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

The three ‘T’s: The Anstruther RNLI volunteer on why saving lives is about teamwork, training and trust In the early hours of 1 August 2012, RNLI crew member Barry Gourlay’s pager went off, alerting him to two men whose boat was being battered against rocks in rough seas. In this dramatic rescue, for which Barry was awarded a Bronze Medal for Gallantry, teamwork was vital. Hear how the crew worked together in wild weather and pitch darkness – and why mutual trust is key.    200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

When the sea swells, Mary McAleese’s admiration for lifeboat volunteers swells with it. Ireland’s former president talks duvet days and bucket lists If Mary McAleese could have her life over again, being part of the RNLI would be on her wish list. Discover why her visits to RNLI lifeboat stations are entrenched in her mind. And hear about Mary’s respect for the courageous crews who go up against the worst the weather can throw at them. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

For most of the RNLI’s existence, a member of the Cocking family has been in it – sometimes paying the ultimate sacrifice The RNLI has been at the heart of the Cocking family for over 150 years. In 1939, tragedy stuck the family when former St Ives Coxswain Thomas Cocking’s great-grandfather perished at sea, along with the great-grandfather’s son and son-in-law. Despite this, the family’s commitment to the RNLI continued. In this archive recording, Thomas talks about the strong RNLI family tradition that has saved countless lives. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

The Aran Islands doctor on the challenges of saving lives in a remote place Retired GP Dr Marion Broderick has been the RNLI’s Lifeboat Medical Officer on Inis Mór for 40 years. Marion opens up about the dangers of transferring patients from the islands to the mainland in atrocious conditions, and highlights the lifeboat crew’s pivotal role in helping to guarantee patients’ safety come what may, night and day. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls   The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Team GB’s first black female Olympian swimmer on the sport that can save your life 95% of black adults and 80% of black children in England don’t swim. The co-founder of The Black Swimming Association, Alice Dearing, is on a mission to change that. Hear why seeing people take their first few steps into water, often fighting deep-seated fears, sometimes moves her to tears.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI’s Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Meet the man who has been fundraising for the RNLI for 62 years. At 80, why does he still do it? When a London Lifeboat Week fundraiser knocked on the door of the Crowden family home, David Crowden’s mother volunteered her 17-year-old son’s services before David could say a word. Hear why it was the beginning of a lifelong commitment to fundraising for the RNLI – and why he’ll never stop. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Chiswick volunteer and Antarctic explorer Ella Du Breuil on becoming the youngest female helm at just 18 Since she was knee-high to a bee, Ella Du Breuil was always interested in boats. From a young age, Ella was set on joining the RNLI, and by 18 had become the charity’s youngest female helm. Her sense of adventure didn’t stop there however, and Ella went on to become the Boating Officer for the British Antarctic Survey. Hear her reflections on a groundbreaking – and icebreaking – career. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Whether he’s co-ordinating Hollywood chase sequences or launching a lifeboat, Duncan Barbour is no stranger to action  Behind every dependable lifeboat crew there’s a dependable shore crew. A launch couldn’t happen without total teamwork, says North Berwick RNLI shore crew member, Duncan Barbour.   Hear how Duncan’s precision-driving work on films such as Braveheart, Goldeneye and Gladiator has put him in good stead when it comes to driving North Berwick’s launch vehicle. Whether he’s driving a tracking vehicle on location or the station’s tractor on the beach, Duncan is used to expecting the unexpected.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200       

The lifeguard saved by lifeguarding – a Bangladesh lifesaver reveals the impact of the RNLI’s work in Cox’s Bazar With more than 120km of unbroken sands, Cox’s Bazar is home to the world’s longest beach. Water is everywhere in Bangladesh, and every day, 40 children drown there. RNLI-trained lifeguard Salim Mohammad talks about what inspired him to help save lives in a country where children are frequently only steps away from danger. And he explains why lifeguarding has made a positive impact not only on the locals and tourists of Cox’s Bazar, but also on himself and his family. In 2012, CIPRB teamed up with the RNLI to start Bangladesh’s first lifeguard service – the SeaSafe project – so people like Salim can help keep locals and visitors to Cox’s Bazar Beach safe. Watch this video to discover how the project has grown and the lifesaving impact it’s making. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by the RNLI's Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Peterhead’s Sarah Patterson on being crowned Miss European and the reactions she gets when people discover she’s a lifeboat crew member  Sarah Patterson isn’t your average beauty queen. The youngest member of Peterhead’s lifeboat crew won the title of Miss European Global in 2022. Hear how the competition involved Sarah stepping out of her comfort zone and how she hopes her story will inspire other young women thinking about joining the RNLI to go for it.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls     The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200       

RNLI crew member Olivia Davison on mucking in, coming out and enjoying being part of one crew  When Olivia Davison moved to Brighton to train as a paramedic, her life changed in more ways than one. Olivia shares her personal journey of being in Brighton, where not only did she join the RNLI lifeboat crew but felt she could accept and embrace her sexuality.   Now a lifeboat crew member in Kessock, hear how Olivia’s pride in joining the RNLI grew hand in hand with her pride in her sexuality, helping to develop her confidence and character.   200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

After her son drowned, Andrea Corrie worked with the RNLI to help bereaved families. Her two books offer comfort to anyone living with loss   In July 2005, 19-year-old James Clark drowned after spending an evening in Kingston with friends. His mother Andrea shares her deeply moving story of how losing James prompted her tireless work to campaign for water safety and drowning prevention.   Finding solace in writing, hear how Andrea wrote two books about dealing with grief to support bereaved people through the darkest of times and help them to one day find light.   200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200       

Each boat in the RNLI’s Historic Lifeboat Collection has a tale to tell. We meet the man who ensures their stories aren’t lost to time or tide  The Historic Dockyard in Chatham, Kent holds the UK’s largest collection of historic lifeboats, which in decades past have saved hundreds of lives. With a lifelong interest in the RNLI, Paul Severns shares his passion for helping to protect and preserve the lifeboats, so that they can be enjoyed by the public for generations to come.   200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200     

Gavin & Stacey’s Ruth Jones gives a shout-out to RNLI stations at Barry, Porthcawl and Lochinver   Welsh actress and writer Ruth Jones grew up with the sea on her doorstep. Raised in Porthcawl, where her family still live, Ruth shares her personal connection with the RNLI and its place at the heart of the coastal communities she knows and loves.   It’s a connection she feels deeply – members of her family are crew and when her father died, the RNLI lowered their flag to half-mast. Hear how Ruth showed her support for the RNLI by putting on a special fundraising event, with a surprise in store. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by RNLI’s Rory Stamp  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

There’s more than one way to save a life – RNLI Shop manager Lise Vittrup on why she’s giving back  Lise Vittrup grew up with a healthy respect for the sea. Yet in 1995, when she was a student in Brighton, she was taken off guard by powerful waves. Swept out to sea and unable to swim to shore, she clung to the struts of Brighton pier, smashed by unrelenting waves.  Hear how Lise’s rescue unfolded – and how her gratitude to the crew led her to join the RNLI’s lifesaving family.    200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

When Jeff Everett’s diving buddy signalled that something was wrong, their dive on a WW1 shipwreck quickly became an emergency   They were 29m underwater, diving the wreck of the St Dunstan, when Jeff Everett’s diving buddy Robin suddenly indicated that he had a problem and needed to ascend. To avoid the ‘bends’, which can be fatal, this must be done slowly.   Connected by a ‘buddy line’ to prevent either diver from getting lost, they started their ascent, but it was dangerously fast. Jeff recalls the terrifying realisation that his buddy’s life was in danger.   200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

When Janet Madron attended the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, she wore something special – the medal awarded to her husband Stephen, who was lost in the 1981 Penlee tragedy Stephen Madron would do anything for anyone. He even came to Janet’s rescue on the bus to the fair. Years later, she listened as the Coastguard called into the silence for the lost Solomon Browne and her crew. Hear Janet’s deeply personal account of the Penlee lifeboat disaster – a story of one village’s lost sons, and the hope their loved ones rediscovered. Janet shares why she still loves being an RNLI volunteer and talks about the honour she felt paying the RNLI’s final farewell to our Royal Patron.  Stephen was one of eight courageous men who were lost in the Penlee tragedy. To pay tribute to them, folk singer Seth Lakeman wrote a special song, Solomon Browne. Listen to Seth's podcast episode to hear the song and how he came to write it. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI   Interview by the RNLI’s Amy Caldwell  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls   The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200  

Hear how courage, selflessness and sheer determination helped Sennen Cove lifesavers rescue the crew of the Tungufoss Having been born and bred in Sennen Cove, Maurice had always had a close affinity with the lifeboat community. After completing his National Service, he became a member of the Sennen Cove RNLI lifeboat crew himself. In this archive recording, Maurice - who sadly passed away in 2022 - recalls the time he helped rescue the crew of Icelandic ship Tungufoss, the reason he was awarded a Silver Medal for Gallantry. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls  The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200 

‘I never dreamed someone like me would be on the crew’ – Tower volunteer Omar Javed on what being an RNLI crew member means to him Aged just 16, Omar was out on the water with the Sea Scouts when their boat suddenly capsized. Despite the shock, Omar didn’t hesitate to help save the lives of two of his peers. Afterwards, Skegness RNLI Coxswain Paul Martin visited Omar in hospital. He told him that when he was old enough, there was a place on their lifeboat crew waiting for him. It was just the start of Omar’s inspirational RNLI journey. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI  Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls  The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200 

As the charity’s first female coxswain, Di Bush made RNLI history. She’s also made a vow to encourage more women to follow in her footsteps Having spent much of her time at sea, Di Bush knows that every day on the water is different. It’s an environment that changes all the time. But change isn’t something that fazes Di, having herself made an incredible change in the RNLI’s history by becoming our charity’s first full-time female coxswain. As coxswain, Di leads her crew at Harwich Lifeboat Station through difficult rescues. Hear as she recalls a particularly memorable one of an oyster fisherman in desperate need of help on a windy winter’s day. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI  Interview by the RNLI's Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls  The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200 

After Portrush lifeguard Annie Jagoe helped rescue a man with spinal injuries, he was told he would never walk again. But 1 year on, the story took a twist  When Portrush lifeguard Annie Jagoe heard the words: ‘Unconscious body in the water’ over her VHF radio, she scanned Benone Beach. Hearing that the casualty couldn’t move, Annie grabbed her spinal board. Matthew, the surfer that Annie and her fellow lifeguards aided that day, was told that he’d never walk again. Yet, on the anniversary of the accident 1 year later, Matthew made a return to the water. And Annie was at his side.  Interested in being a frontline lifesaver? Like Annie, you can help keep beachgoers safe. Find out how to become a lifeguard and learn more about what’s involved in this unique and rewarding job. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI   Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls      The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

RNLI Heritage Officer Dr Joanna Bellis on fundraising chickens, and her favourite object in the RNLI Museum collection When you have 200 years’ worth of stories scattered around an organisation as far-flung as the RNLI, sometimes some detective work is in order. RNLI Heritage Officer Joanna Bellis reveals how the tales behind some her favourite artefacts in the RNLI’s collection came to light. Hear why donors couldn’t say no to a fundraising chicken. And learn why a certain silver tankard proved to be a bit of a Russian doll – inside it, lay the secret to a dramatic rescue straight from a Boys Own adventure. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI  Interview by the RNLI's Isobel Noctor Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls  The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200 

When he’s not on stage with Ed Sheeran, he’s on duty at Chiswick RNLI. Mark Pusey on the unlikely similarities between both When Mark Pusey discovered there were RNLI lifeboats on the River Thames, suddenly a lifelong dream of volunteering on the crew could become a reality – without leaving London. Session drummer Mark takes a break from Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics tour to talk about the realities of lifesaving on a powerful tidal river. From the buzz of Boat Race day to the camaraderie of crewmates, hear how his professional and volunteer roles put each one into perspective.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI  Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls  The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200 

The day the RNLI rescued pirates – former Radio Caroline DJ Nick Richards reflects on the event that inspired a lifelong affinity with the charity The Mi Amigo was a rusting hulk. She had a seized engine, no ship’s wheel, and somebody had even made off with the compass. Yet, in the 1960s, this was a boat with legions of fans, including the DJs who called the Mi Amigo home. Nick Richards takes us back to the days of Radio Caroline, the pirate radio station that broadened musical horizons from a ship anchored off the Essex coast. Nick, one of four DJs rescued when the Mi Amigo began to sink, recalls the day Sheerness RNLI came to their aid. But there was a fifth crew member onboard that day – what happened to the ship’s canary, Wilson? 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI  Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls  The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200 

In 1915, seas carried extra danger. After a steamer is sunk by a submarine, RNLI lifeboat Lady Rothes is launched. Fraserburgh Sea Cadets pick up the story The champagne had barely dried on Fraserburgh’s newly named lifeboat, when her crew were called into the fray of a First World War rescue. The Lady Rothes had just been donated to the town by the Countess of Rothes’ father, grateful that his daughter had survived the 1912 Titanic disaster. On 8 August 1915, the lifeboat’s volunteer crew launched after a German submarine was sighted 15 miles offshore. Fraserburgh’s first motor lifeboat was about to claim its first rescue.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI   Narration courtesy of the Fraserburgh Sea Cadets  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls       The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200  

Wild weather and forbidding seas aren’t the only challenges the RNLI has faced – Dr Sam Jones reveals how the charity we know today came about As with so many good beginnings, it all started in a pub. On 4 March, 1824, Sir William Hillary met Thomas Wilson in Bishopsgate’s London Tavern to establish the National Institution for the Preservation of Lives and Property from Shipwreck. But after an auspicious start, the charity we know today as the RNLI hit choppier waters. RNLI Tobermory’s Dr Sam Jones – who very sadly passed away in our anniversary year – reveals the organisation’s evolution. And explains why, 200 years from now, future historians will recognise the same volunteer ethos at the Institution's heart. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI   Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls       The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200  

The RNLI’s Senior Operations Manager explains how a lifeboat crew comes together How were lifeboat crews alerted in the days before pagers? What if a crew member’s pager goes off during Christmas dinner? Or a wedding? And why is a shout called a shout? The RNLI’s Paul Fisher reveals the surprising ways in which volunteer crews have been called into action to save those they’ve never met. The methods may have changed, but the lifesavers' commitment and selflessness remain. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI   Interview by the RNLI's Darren Crew  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls       The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200  

She flies a hovercraft for the RNLI. And flies the flag for female volunteers. Meet Leesa Espley In 2007, RNLI Hunstanton’s Leesa Espley became the first woman to gain a pilot’s licence to fly an RNLI hovercraft. But she had to do it the hard way – needing laser eye-surgery before she could take flight. Hear how times have changed for RNLI crews, and about what it’s like to pilot something with no brakes. Learn more about the hovercraft. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI   Interview by the RNLI's Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls       The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200  

Visual artist Sophie Dixon on a Northumberland heroine and the film she inspired On 7 September, 1838, a lighthouse-keeper’s daughter – Grace Darling – spotted shipwrecked survivors clinging to the rocks of the Farne Islands, Northumberland. After Grace and her father defied a raging storm to rescue them in an open rowing boat, Grace became a national – and international – celebrity, and was awarded the RNLI’s Silver Medal for Gallantry. Visual artist Sophie Dixon talks to 200 Voices about how she used a game engine and 3D modelling to give a 185-year-old story a modern telling. Her short film, Grace, explores how, for the lady of the lighthouse, the blinding glare of media attention became too much. Watch the film here or go to https://www.grace-darling.film/ You can learn more about Grace Darling at the RNLI Grace Darling Museum Read more about Sophie’s work here or visit https://sophie-dixon.com/Info 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI   Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls   The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200    

After saving a surfer at Perranporth, Sophie became the first female RNLI lifeguard to be awarded a medal. She wishes her Dad had lived to see it Growing up in Cornwall, keeping vigil over those in the sea was a way of life for Sophie Grant-Crookston. When a relentless swell trapped a surfer in one of Perranporth’s notoriously dangerous Bat Caves, her years of training paid off. Sophie and her fellow lifeguards had to time their rescue perfectly to get everyone out alive. Listen to her memories of the 2006 rescue, the thoughts she experienced as the adrenaline surged – and hear about the bittersweet emotions on the medal that links her to the RNLI family forever.  You may also enjoy Aileen Jones’s podcast episode, where she talks about becoming the charity’s first female crew member to be awarded an RNLI Gallantry Medal. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI   Interview by Adventurous Audio  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls       The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200  

Actor and sailor Griff Rhys Jones on why he feels safer on stage than on water. The sea doesn’t stick to a script, he warns Griff Rhys Jones is no stranger to water. Hear why to this day he still gets a nagging feeling about the sea – a place he regards at times as a place of frenzy. His appreciation for the RNLI goes all the way back to his early trips to West Mersea, where his father once tied a man upside down to a ladder – Griff explains why it was a kinder act than it sounds! And says that, although many things have moved on in 200 years, the RNLI ethos remains largely unchanged. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by the RNLI's Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Stories from the veteran Largs lifeboatman who was instrumental in saving 296 lives The 49er – wearing different hats, Ronnie Copeland served Largs RNLI for almost half a century. He still can’t walk away, visiting local primary schools to teach water safety. Discover how the RNLI has come on leaps and bounds. And hear about an unusual rescue. From Minnie Mouse to Spider-Man and Winnie the Pooh, watch this video see some of our most unusual rescues. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Legendary RNLI fundraiser Mary Taylor on the pull of the lifeboat station The smell of the boathouse; the roar of the engine – for the late Mary Taylor, otherwise known as Lifeboat Mary, Padstow Lifeboat Station had a very special appeal. For one thing, her family’s RNLI connections reach all the way back to 1883. To Mary, the lifeboat was more than a boat – it was a friend. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI  Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls  The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200 

Who doesn’t love a singalong? Meet the RNLI Water Safety Officer whose talks enthral adults as much as kids Surprisingly, around 50% of those who get into trouble in the water never intend to get wet in the first place. So education is key. Hunstanton RNLI’s Lifeboat Visits Officer Kate Craven reveals how the Hunstanton volunteers draw in a crowd, why you can’t beat a catchy song, and why, after the children have left the station, some lifesavers are left with a tear in their eye. Watch the Seaside Safety Song video. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200  

We shall save them on the beaches: RNLI Archivist John Ray on the Ramsgate crew who braved bombs and bullets at Dunkirk The sea is daunting enough. But perhaps never more so than in May, 1940, when two RNLI lifeboat crews launched into the Second World War. Joining an armada of 700 ‘little ships’, the volunteers embarked on Operation Dynamo. Evading enemy submarines, bursting shells and raging fires, the two crews ferried 3,400 troops to safety. When people talk of Dunkirk spirit, they are talking about the kind of spirit showed by the lifeboat crews of Ramsgate and Margate.  Learn more about the RNLI's extraordinary efforts in the Second World War in a special episode of Saving Lives at Sea, presented by Dermot O'Leary. Search Series 9: Episode 1 on BBC iPlayer or visit https://tinyurl.com/4cryn54u 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200  

Best-selling author Ann Cleeves on the real-life drama that earned the RNLI a place close to her heart It’s no coincidence that Ilfracombe RNLI makes an appearance in Ann Cleeves’s latest book, The Raging Storm (published in August 2023). Learn why Ann will always be grateful to the RNLI. And hear about the book, set in a remote fishing village in a part of Devon where both the lead character – Matthew Venn – and Ann herself grew up.   To find out more about The Raging Storm visit anncleeves.com 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by the RNLI's Isobel Noctor Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200  

It was the race that changed yacht racing. RNLI Baltimore’s Kieran Cotter on the Fastnet tragedy of 1979 Former Baltimore RNLI Coxswain Kieran Cotter joined the RNLI when he was just 19, and would go on to receive an RNLI Bronze Medal for Gallantry. In August 1979, Kieran and his fellow crew members were called to aid sailors competing in the Fastnet Race, in which 5 yachts sank and 15 lives were lost. The shout to the yacht Regardless was just the start of what would be a 22-hour mission.  For 200 years, RNLI volunteers have been ready to launch into raging seas, not knowing when – or if – they will return home. For more legendary rescues, listen to Graham Drinkwater's memories of the Nafsiporos recue (Episode 109) and the late Michael Scales on the Bonita rescue (Episode 119). 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

The RNLI is what happens to you when you’re making other plans – an ex-US-Coast-Guarder reveals why he dropped anchor in the UK After 24 years with the United States Coast Guard, JoJo Mains gave up chasing drug-smugglers and chased a new adventure instead – joining the RNLI. Castles, he expected. Self-righting boats and volunteers, he didn’t. Find out why the RNLI holds a little magical place in his life.  Another RNLI staff member has crossed the Atlantic – but in the opposite direction, and under rather different steam. Find out how with Dave Whiddon in Episode 57. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

After being given days to live, Timothy Spall vowed that if he ever recovered he would get a boat – he did both. Hear about his close encounters Actor Timothy Spall isn’t short of maritime material. He once almost tethered his boat to a WW2 wreck housing 1,400 tonnes of high explosives. And once navigated what Admiral Nelson regarded as the most dangerous stretch of water he’d ever encountered. Whatever the sea throws at them, Tim and his wife – Shane – have a tried-and-tested way of keeping their cool. What’s their secret?  An actor's life or a sailor's life? Hear more yarns from another seagoing screen star, Griff Rhys Jones (Episode 19). 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by the RNLI’s Eleanor Driscoll Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Irish priest – and Courtown crew member – Father Tom Dalton on his role when rescue turns to recovery RNLI lifesavers are an eclectic bunch with a common goal – saving lives. But how do they feel when a life can’t be saved? Wexford priest and Courtown volunteer Father Tom shares his perspective on the importance of listening and closure. And says there’s always a place for what he calls ‘the medicine for all things’.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200  

After losing her sister Dara at sea, Niamh Fitzpatrick reveals what the RNLI means to her On 14 March, 2017, Irish Coast Guard helicopter 116 crashed into the sea off County Mayo, resulting in the loss of four crew members. One of those lost was Niamh Fitzpatrick’s sister, Dara. The RNLI recovered Dara’s body. Niamh explains how the RNLI helped her through the loss of her sister, and why the family’s bond with Achill Island RNLI, in particular, is so close. Niamh later drew on her experience to write the book: Tell Me the Truth About Loss: A Psychologist’s Personal Story of Loss, Grief and Finding Hope.  To learn more about Niamh's work, visit niamhfitzpatrickpsychology.ie  You'll find more brave conversations about living with loss in 200 Voices. Michele Jagger (Episode 114) shares how Launch a Memory has helped her to remember her daughter. And, like Niamh, Andrea Corrie (Episode 38) has found solace in writing. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Chris Beardshaw on the inspiration behind his medal-winning RNLI Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show To help him create the RNLI’s Chelsea Flower Show Garden, Chris Beardshaw visited Portishead RNLI as well as the charity’s all-weather lifeboat centre. Hear him talk about what inspired him, and get an insight into why he thinks the charity provides ‘the gold standard of rescue services’.  Chris Beardshaw's garden design was the perfect tribute to our Georgian roots, while reflecting the forward-thinking organisation we are today. Hear from another designer who faced a creative challenge – sculptor Sam Holland (Episode 89) on designing the RNLI Memorial. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by the RNLI’s Eleanor Driscoll Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Volunteer Helm Aileen Jones recalls the day she and her crew saved two lives, which resulted in an RNLI Bronze Medal for Gallantry RNLI Porthcawl’s first female Helm – Aileen Jones – takes us back to 24 August 2004, and the day she helped to save two lives. The rescue resulted in Aileen becoming the charity’s first female crew member to be awarded an RNLI Gallantry Medal. What advice would she give to aspiring lifesavers?  200 Voices is home to a range of inspiring stories from women who have led the way. You can hear about other medal-winning firsts by Victorian heroine Grace Darling (Episode 99) and former lifeguard Sophie Grant-Crookston (Episode 20). And Di Bush (Episode 30) and Anna Heslop (Episode 175) talk about the changes seen at stations around our coasts. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

There’s only one thing worse than seeing your children in trouble in the water – not seeing them. A mum recalls the day her daughters were swept out at Barmouth We all hope we’ll never have to make a 999 call. But in August 2022, Milena – mother of 10-year-old Elsie and 12-year-old Mabel – had to do just that. Playing in the surf one minute, the girls were suddenly swept out to sea. As the two sisters drifted apart, Elsie instructed Mabel to float like a starfish. Milena explains what happened next.  As the Float to Live message spreads, we're hearing from more and more people who've put it to the test. Find out why Finley Hassall (Episode 71) and Ruth Osborne (Episode 185) are both grateful for this lifesaving skill. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Jim Moir, otherwise known as Vic Reeves, on the perils of the sea. And charcoal Best known for his comedy, Jim Moir’s twin passions are actually art and birds, which led to the Sky Arts show Painting Birds with Jim and Nancy Moir. His latest exhibition – ‘Comestibles Sir?’ – runs until 26 August at the Cornwall Contemporary Gallery. He talks to 200 Voices about getting his hands – and face – dirty for the RNLI.   Find out more about Jim's latest exhibition at jimmoir.com or visit cornwallcontemporary.com The RNLI has provided inspiration to painters for 200 years and counting. Catch up with RNLI crew members – and artists – Maria Barbashina (Episode 51) and Mark Taylor (Episode 80). Or listen to Kurt Jackson (Episode 58) on the moving reason he’s celebrated the RNLI in his work.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by the RNLI’s Rory Stamp Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Behind the scenes of Saving Lives at Sea: what is it about the RNLI series that keeps us watching?  At once heart-warming and heartbreaking, the BBC’s Saving Lives at Sea has had us hooked for eight series. Senior Producer Corinna Gallop shares why she thinks we keep watching and explains how the programme has changed her. Hear why it’s the series she’s most proud of.  Series 8 of Saving Lives at Sea is available here and on BBC iPlayer. Several RNLI folk have been involved in bringing our stories to the airwaves. Hear from podcast producer Dan Holland (Episode 181) and TV producer Mali Parry-Jones (Episode 197).  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200  

Hannah Williamson describes the stomach-churning moment when she realised husband Ben had been taken by a rip Beautiful August sunshine, a BBQ, and a bit of bodyboarding – the recipe for a perfect day at the beach. But when Hannah Williamson suddenly loses sight of husband Ben while he’s out on his board at Perran Sands, panic sets in. With no phone signal to call the Coastguard, Hannah starts to think Ben won’t be coming back.  Know the risks and find out what to do if you're caught in a rip current. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Bafta-winning actor Joanna Scanlan on the cast-members she has the greatest admiration for Actress and open-water swimmer Joanna Scanlan on pushing herself out of her depth, why she included an RNLI rescue in an episode of the TV comedy Puppy Love, and why one day she needed the RNLI for real.  Hear from another RNLI ambassador who's starred onscreen, Ruth Jones (Episode 36). 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by the RNLI’s Ollie Wrynne-Simpson Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

In 1824, Sir William Hillary founded what is now the RNLI. Coxswain Edd Christian takes us back to where it all started On 10 October, 1822, HMS Vigilant foundered on St Mary’s Rock in Douglas Bay on the Isle of Man. A bystander urged others to help him row out to rescue those in peril. That man was Sir William Hillary. And, as a result of this and further shipwrecks, he went on to form what we know today as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. One of Douglas RNLI’s current coxswains explains why, two centuries on, Sir William would be proud.   Discover more about the RNLI's foundation and development through our first 100 years: Veronica Vondy (Episode 166) and Hayley Whiting (Episode 195) talk about founder Sir William Hillary, while Dr Sam Jones (Episode 24) explores a turning point in the RNLI's fortunes in 1852. 200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

How do you describe what it’s like to encounter waves the size of buildings? How do you convey what that moment of rescue feels like? How do you tell the story of 200 years of lifesaving? With so many examples of courage, selflessness, heart-breaking loss and heartfelt relief in its long history, the RNLI has left it to those who know best. In 200 Voices you’ll hear from people whose lives have been touched by the charity. Not just crew members and casualties, but fundraisers, lifeguards, shore crew and shop workers, as well as those with more surprising connections. It takes many hands to save a life. And in each episode, you'll hear a unique perspective. In the RNLI's bicentenary year, 200 Voices will transport you back in time, far out to sea and into the future.