RNLI Selsey station marks milestone in Institute's 200th anniversary scroll

The event sees a scroll bearing the RNLI pledge being passed through RNLI stations, units and fundraising branches all over the UK and signed by representatives at each one.

The scroll stopped off in Selsey on March 6, where it was signed by Tony Delahunty, lifeboat operations manager (LOM), Colin Rycraft, shop manager Marion Jane and fundraising manager Vaughan Turney.

The full scroll reads: “Whoever we are, wherever we are from, we are one crew, ready to save lives. We’re powered by passion, talent and kindness, like generations of selfless lifesavers before us. This is our watch, we lead the way, valuing each other, trusting each other, depending on one another, volunteering to face the storm together. Knowing that, with courage, nothing is impossible. That is what has always driven us to save every one we can. It's what makes every one of us a lifesaver.”

Lifeboat operations manager Tom Delahunty said the event was ‘ a great opportunity and an honour to sign the scroll on behalf of all the volunteers across the station who do their bit to save lives at sea.’

Over the next seven months, the five-metre long scroll will pass through 240 RNLI locations all over the UK, before finishing its journey in October on the Isle of Man, home to the RNLI’s founder Sir William Hillary. By this time, it is expected to carry around 700 signatures.

The scroll has been specially made by craftspeople with direct ties to the RNLI, using materials of significance to the charity. The wooden handle was made by a carpenter from the RNLI’s All-Weather Lifeboat Centre in Poole, using wood from an old flagpole from the RNLI Station on the Isle of Man. The protective fibreglass casing, meanwhile, was made by apprentices from the RNLI’s Inshore Lifeboat Centre on the Isle of Wight.

The scroll started its journey on March 4, at a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey to mark the charity’s 200th anniversary, where it was signed by RNLI President, HRH The Duke of Kent, as well as the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Dean of Westminster, the RNLI’s Chair and the RNLI’s Chief Executive.