Approximately 60 people attended the 2012 Exmouth RNLI Guild AGM held on 23 April at the Exe Sailing Club. The Exmouth Lifeboat Management Group open meeting followed on with the guest speaker Lee Firman, Coxswain of the Shannon class trials ending the evening with a question and answer session.

The attendees included lifeboat crew members and officers, the Exmouth Deputy Town Mayor, Exmouth Town Councillors and members of the public. The meeting commenced with a minute’s silence in memory for recently departed members of Exmouth RNLI, past and present. Jack Stapley, Guild President; David Jackson, Budleigh Salterton Co-ordinator; Doug Were, second mechanic on City of Birmingham and John Kirley, former inshore lifeboat crew member were remembered.

The RNLI have spent two days in Exmouth (Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 April) carrying out trials of a new class of lifeboat.  The Shannon class all-weather is at present undergoing extensive sea and beach trials around the country where she’s been tested out in a range of conditions.

The new lifeboat has been designed in-house by RNLI naval architects who have harnessed cutting-edge technology to ensure it meets the demands of a modern day rescue service. The Shannon features twin water jets instead of conventional propellers, allowing her to operate in shallow waters and to be highly manoeuvrable. At present a team of RNLI personnel are busy testing her abilities and the new system that’s been designed to launch and recover the lifeboat.

The RNLI Bronze Medal for Gallantry is to be presented to Exmouth crew volunteer Roger Jackson (43) following the rescue of four people from a capsized powerboat last October. At a meeting of the charity’s Trustees this week it was agreed that the award acknowledged Roger’s exemplary command and leadership, boat-handling skill and tenacity in exceptional conditions. The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum will also be presented to Exmouth crew volunteers Mark Champion (32) and Andrew Williams (32) for their role during the same incident.

The story unfolded late in the afternoon on Sunday 23 October 2011 when reports came in of people in the water after a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) capsized in the River Exe estuary. Knowing four people were in the water and in immediate danger, it was decided to launch the Exmouth RNLI D class inshore lifeboat George Bearman, despite a near gale force onshore wind from the south east.

RNLI volunteers Roger Jackson (Helm), Mark Champion and Andrew Williams launched the lifeboat through surf of a metre and a half. As the three lifeboat crew reached the main part of the channel, they were immediately battling harsh conditions.  At one stage they had to work hard to keep the lifeboat upright, while Roger Jackson negotiated the safest route possible, using the lifeboat’s full engine power to climb the face of very large waves.

Exmouth RNLI volunteer of nearly 18 years, Nancy Thompson has raised £1,005 through sales of her crocheted hats. Nancy started her individual fundraising project for the charity 16 months ago and has sold 140 in this period. Nancy knows how important raising money for...

Senior RNLI officials have acknowledged the hard work of local shop volunteers and issued two separate awards in their RNLI 2012 Honours list.

The Chief Executive of the RNLI, Paul Boissier wrote to Margaret Eaglesham, Souvenir Secretary and informed her that both she and her retail team had won awards. Margaret receives a national Silver Badge in recognition of her devoted service with the Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton Guild. This will be presented at a ceremony later in the summer. In the letter, Mr Boissier writes;

‘I am very conscious of all you have done for the Institution and would like to add my own thanks to those of the Council for your loyalty and support.’

Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton RNLI hosted a service of nine lessons and carols at Holy Trinity Church, Exmouth on a cold, dry evening of 17 December. Around 200 people attended the service including Cllr. Peter Halse, Chairman of East Devon District Council; Cllr....

Representatives from Exmouth and Teignmouth RNLI were invited to the 2011 Dawlish Air Show AGM on a wet and windy 15 December at The Manor House, Dawlish. A volunteer from each station received a cheque for £100 following public relations exercises during this year’s show.

Attendees were shown a short film of “behind the scenes” footage from the 2011 air show and organisers gave an insight into all the effort that was generated to put on a large-scale annual event.

Chair, Kevin Wills presented 13 cheques to local organisations and charities which had supported the event and offered their services free of charge. Together with the 2 donations to the RNLI, the British Legion, Friends of Dawlish Hospital, local ATC and Sea Scouts services were honoured.

Don Hodgkinson, Chair of Exmouth RNLI guild and Tony Watson, Lifeboat Press Officer and Administrator at Teignmouth RNLI both received £100 for the stations’ involvement on the day.

Two Exmouth lifeboatmen who have connections with Withycombe Raleigh primary school, visited 90 foundation unit children on Thursday 1 December to give a talk about their volunteer work.

The visit was organised by Caroline Sansom, a teaching assistant at the school and also wife of Mark Sansom who has been a volunteer lifeboat crew member for 13 years. Being the wife of a lifeboat crew member is not without sacrifice, especially when the pagers go off at all times of the day and night, so when Caroline asked her husband Mark to come and give a talk he was more than happy to give something back. He visited the children with ‘Stormy Stan’ the RNLI mascot who delighted the youngsters in his colorful outfit – played out by fellow lifeboatman Chris Sims whose son Mathew is also in the foundation unit at the school.