RNLI 200 Voices

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  

32. Maurice Hutchens: To the End

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 

31. Omar Javed: Seeing is Believing

‘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 

30. Blazing a Trail: Di Bush

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 

29. Road to Recovery: Annie Jagoe

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 
 

28. Dr. Joanna Bellis: The Tankard with a Tale

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 

27. Always In Concert: Mark Pusey

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 

26. The Last of the Pirates: Nick Richards

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 

25. A WW1 Rescue: Fraserburgh Sea Cadets

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  

24. Weathering the Storm: Dr Sam Jones

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