RNLI to receive honorary freedom of Weston-super-Mare
In the week the Lifeboats celebrated their 200th anniversary - a local RNLI team are to get honorary freedom of the town
Today, and on the week that the RNLI across the country celebrated its 200th anniversary, the local volunteer crew and fundraisers in Weston-super-Mare are to receive the Honorary Freedom of the Town.
From 4.30pm (March 10th), they will be parading along the Weston seafront before attending a private ceremony where they will be presented with a scroll by local dignitaries and the local Town Council, in recognition of many years of hard work and dedication.
The motion was passed last year, at the Full Town Council meeting back on 20th November 2023, acknowledging the exceptional contribution made by generations of local volunteers to saving life in the Bristol Channel.
The RNLI has a long local history, having established in 1882 in Weston, when it received its very first lifeboat - called William James Holt (ON259).
Crew of this boat operated it with wooden oars, whilst those on-board wore cork lifejackets over the course of its seven year service, during which, it was involved in two rescues - one of which saw 40 lives saved from the SS Welsh Prince of Newport.
Since 1882, the Weston-super-Mare volunteer lifeboat crew have launched 2,269 times and saved 477 lives. Over this time, the station has received six RNLI awards for gallantry, including recognition of courage, skill, seamanship and determination during challenging rescue conditions.
Charlotte Conroy started volunteering at the station in 1998, and has held various positions including lifeboat crew, deputy launch authority and lifeboat operations manager.
She said: "Since the station began over 140 years ago our vision has remained as strong as ever. Nowadays the RNLI and Weston-Super-Mare RNLI are a family of reliable and dependable men and women who volunteer their time to save lives at sea.
"To receive the Freedom of the Town is recognition of their hard work and dedication as well as a thank you to all the crew’s families and workplaces who continue to support them when they have to leave at a moment’s notice."
Peter Elmont manages the fundraising for Weston RNLI and his wife Bridget runs the RNLI shop at Marine Lake.
He said: "The Freedom of the Town is a fantastic way for Weston-super-Mare to kick off the RNLI 200th Anniversary celebrations. The fundraising team works hard in the background raising much needed donations for the charity and in turn the station.
"This year we have lots of amazing events to celebrate and help support the RNLI, so we can continue saving lives for another 200 years and beyond."
Chris Ware, the Lifeboat Operations Manager at Weston RNLI said: "The whole Weston-super-Mare RNLI family are really looking forward to formally receiving the immense honour of the Freedom of our hometown, which supports us so well in everything we do.
"At the event, we will have members of our current crew, fundraisers, and retired crew, supported as always by our family and friends. Also taking part will be lifeboat colleagues from our central support team and flank stations such as Barry Dock and Burnham-on-Sea.
"In the spirit of the RNLI 200 celebrations, we will commemorate our past, celebrate what we do today, and hopefully inspire the next generation of volunteers in Weston."
Local business Howards Motor Group have provided sponsorship to cover the costs of the ceremony, Executive Director Jonathan Coleman said: "Weston RNLI is a great organisation that delivers an invaluable service within our community."