RNLI 200 Voices

140. A Way of Life: Dupre Strutt

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   
 

139. Rooms with a View: Debbie Corke

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   
 

138. International Rescue: Agustin Lanzavecchia

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   

137. HRH The Duke of Kent: Being President

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   

136. Lawrie Grove: For the Sake of William, George and Billy

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   
 
 
 
 
 

135. Dover Disaster: Tony Hawkins

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   
 

134. Ready Player, Save Every One: Nick Roberts

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   
 

133. Courage and Loss: Pat Abram

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   
 

132. Unwavering Commitment: Alex Barthe

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   
 
 
 
 

131. Boxing Day Dip: Daniel Wanna

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