Suffolk RNLI volunteer pays tribute to the charity on its 200th birthday
Ali's volunteered with the RNLI for nearly 30 years
As the RNLI celebrates its 200th anniversary - we're speaking to a Suffolk woman who's volunteered for the charity for nearly thirty years.
Since it was founded in 1824, the charity's saved 146,000 lives - an average of two a day.
Ali Norman has been a volunteer crew member at Aldeburgh Lifeboat Station for nearly three decades.
During that time, she's been involved in countless rescues and gives water safety talks in schools.
She remembers, when she first joined, she was the only woman on the crew, telling us she was determined to hold her own.
When passing her certificates, Ali tells us having a member of the team turn to her and say "Ali, I'll go to sea with you any day" meant the world to her.
Ali explains she's volunteered for so long as she's found a "community" in the RNLI, and appreciates how it "saves lives...educates and prevents issues."
As a volunteer, Ali and others can be called at any moment, and she told us there have been several occasions where she has had to "abandon" her family to respond to a call.
On one occasion, she was teaching her daughter how to drive, and told us she remembers getting the call and having to "carefully" direct her daughter to the station, where they both got out and she said her daughter would have "to walk home."
Another time she was out for her mum's birthday lunch and she had to "leave her to pay the bill" - although she did pay her mum back and tells us she's thankful her family is so understanding of the commitment she has to the RNLI.
Memorable moments
We asked Ali what are some moments volunteering for the RNLI that stick out to her.
She recalled how a fisherman trawled up a World War 2 bomb, "you know one of those spherical bombs with the nobbly bits sticking out."
They had the bomb disposal team come along to cordon off the area, and make everything safe so that they could detonate it safely.
Another memorable moment for Ali was going to give a talk at a school where there was a young boy who "loved lifeboats":
"Years ago members of the RNLI were able to take family members out on the lifeboat as a thank you, so I asked him if he wanted to come out on the boat".
He is now a Helmsman, much to Ali's delight: "On his 17th birthday, he signed on that dotted line and he joined and he hasn't looked back since."