RNLI 200 Voices

20. Surviving the Surf: Sophie Grant-Crookston

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  

19. 200 Voices Interviews: Griff Rhys Jones

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 RNLIInterview by the RNLI's Rory StampSoundtrack composed and performed by Jon NichollsThe RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

18. Rescuing Minnie Mouse: Ronnie Copeland

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 RNLIInterview by Adventurous AudioSoundtrack composed and performed by Jon NichollsThe RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

17. The Power of Padstow: Mary Taylor

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 

16. The Lyrical Lifesaver: Kate Craven

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 RNLIInterview by Adventurous AudioSoundtrack composed and performed by Jon NichollsThe RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200
 

15. Lifesaving in Wartime: John Ray

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 RNLIInterview by Adventurous AudioSoundtrack composed and performed by Jon NichollsThe RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200
 

14. Ann Cleeves: A True Story

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 RNLIInterview by the RNLI's Isobel NoctorSoundtrack composed and performed by Jon NichollsThe RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200
 

13. The Calm Before the Force 10: Kieran Cotter

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 RNLIInterview by Adventurous AudioSoundtrack 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

12. Pulled Across the Pond: JoJo Mains

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 RNLIInterview by Adventurous AudioSoundtrack 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

11. Acting on a Dream: Timothy Spall

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 RNLIInterview by the RNLI’s Eleanor DriscollSoundtrack composed and performed by Jon NichollsThe RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200