OVER 165 YEARS

For over 165 years Dover lifeboats have been saving lives and over 30 awards for gallantry have been presented to crews. Today, the station operates the largest lifeboat in the fleet, a Severn class lifeboat.

The Dover Straits are of course one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world plus this comparatively small stretch of water is also home to commercial fishing boats, angling boats, works bots, tugs, ferries and of course the ever growing volume of people taking to the water for fun, in yachts, on jet-skis and the simple pleasure of swimming in the sea.

Dover’s RNLI lifeboat is at the forefront of protecting all people who take to the water. The station which guards the Straits, from Folkestone to the South Goodwin light vessel, was established in 1837 by the Dover Humane and Shipwreck Institution.

REGISTERED CHARITY

The RNLI receives no money from the Government and is a registered charity so the boat was funded by a City of London centenary appeal with bequests of Mrs Edna Horsfield, Mrs Gertrude Koss and other gifts and legacies and has served at Dover since 1997.

24 HOURS A DAY, 365 DAYS A YEAR

More than 4,800 lifeboat crew members around the UK drop everything when their pagers sound the alert, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Only 1 in 10 crew members has a professional maritime occupation. Men and women of all ages and walks of life, crew the RNLI lifeboats around our coats and waterways.

At Dover there is a team of just under 30 volunteers. These crew members are made up of various professions from ferry workers to engineers, from sales reps to a train driver, and even a radio presenter. They are led by the Coxwain Mark ‘Foggy’ Finnis.

PLEASE DONATE

If you would like to know more, or if you would like to donate to an extremely worthy cause please visit their website: http://www.dover-lifeboats.org.uk