RNLI 200 Voices

70. Write Her Name With Pride: Tanni Grey-Thompson

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

69. Nick McCaffrey: 60 Degrees North

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   

68. Part of the Family: Doug Grant

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   

67. A Marriage of Inconvenience: Rose Skelton

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   

66. The Night Before Kitting Up: Ken Gollop

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   

65. Bill Dewsbury: A Family Affair

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   

64. Paddy McLaughlin: Stronger Together

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

63. Grand Designs: Peter Eyre

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   

62. Trapped Underwater: Frank Smith

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   

61. Lifesaving in Wartime: Mark Hudson

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