RNLI 200 Voices

42. Action Stations: Duncan Barbour

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      

41. Born to Save: Salim Mohammad

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   

40. Sarah Patterson: Punching Through

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      

39. Rich Rewards: Olivia Davison

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   

38. Andrea Corrie: For James

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      

37. Chatham Dockyard: Paul Severns

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     

36. 200 Voices Interviews: Ruth Jones

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   

35. Pay it Forward: Lise Vittrup

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   

34. A Buddy Story: Jeff Everett

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   

33. Forever Proud: Janet Madron

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