History
The Parish Council of Mundesley became very concerned after a tragedy occurred half a mile off the beach in Mundesley in 1971. [1] The incident resulted in the drowning and near drowning of a man and his wife whilst sailing their boat. A meeting was called by the Council to discuss the feasibility of establishing an Inshore Lifeboat at Mundesley. It was decided to contact the RNLI and Coastguard to ask for help in setting up a service. Their response was that they would be unable to help [1] due to heavy commitments to other stations in the area.
Independent service
Undiscouraged by this response, the council decided they would set up an independent rescue service. This service would be funded and staffed from within the village. As a result of a series of meetings held by the council "The Mundesley Volunteer Inshore Lifeboat Service Ltd" [1] was formed. The organization was to be a Limited Company and registered charity. Being a Limited Company, a board of directors was duly elected who were chosen from a broad section of the local community including proposed crew members. The volunteer crew would take care of the day-to-day running of the boat and the station, whilst the directors would take care of the policy making, fund raising and financial arrangements. [1]
Service commences
By the spring of 1972 the organization was ready to start its service. A Zodiac inflatable was acquired to use as the lifeboat which had been borrowed from a local businessman. [1] This lifeboat was housed in a temporary boathouse on the promenade at the East end of the village. Throughout the summer of 1972 an extensive fund raising campaign was initiated which resulted in the purchase of a 4M Avon Sea Rider semirigid inflatable which was wholly owned by the new service. [1] Contractors at the close by Bacton Gas Terminal donated a wooden site hut which was converted into a boathouse. [1]
Stability
Since those early days the Service has gone from strength to strength and has taken part in the rescue of some 100 [1] people in trouble. The lifeboat is called out to service by a pager system which is activated by H M Coastguard from their Great Yarmouth operations room. [1] The lifeboat works closely with other Lifeboat stations in the area both inshore and offshore, and also with the RAF Search and Rescue Helicopter Squadron now located at Wattisham in Suffolk. [1] All the crew members are volunteers who are trained in all aspects of search and rescue work, boat handling, first aid, and navigation. The volunteers undertake training all year round. There are lifeboat crew on duty at the station every Sunday and bank holiday during the summer months. [1]
Walmer Lifeboat Station is located on The Strand on Walmer promenade, in the county of Kent.
Blyth Lifeboat Station is located at the Port and seaside town of Blyth, in the south east corner of the county of Northumberland, approx. 13 miles (21 km) north of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Fowey Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Fowey on the south coast of Cornwall in the United Kingdom. The first lifeboat was stationed in the area in 1859 and the present station was opened in 1997. It operates a Trent Class all weather boat (ALB) and a D class (IB1) inshore lifeboat (ILB).
Sennen Cove Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations for the sea around Land's End, Cornwall in the United Kingdom. The first lifeboat was stationed at Sennen Cove in 1853. Since 2009 it has operated a Tamar-class all-weather boat (ALB) and a D-class (IB1) inshore lifeboat (ILB).
Exmouth Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Exmouth, Devon, England. The first lifeboat was stationed in the town in 1803 and the present station was opened in 2009. In 2014 a new Shannon-class 25-knot all-weather boat (ALB) went on station. Also operated is a D-class (IB1) inshore lifeboat (ILB).
Palling Volunteer Rescue Service was originally an independent, voluntary-staffed and charitably-funded inshore rescue service located in the village of Sea Palling in North Norfolk, England. First established by private funds in 1840, it was taken over by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1858 and operated until 1931, when it was closed in a rationalisation of regional lifeboat stations. Revived in 1972 by local people through monies raised from private, business and charitable donations, today the renamed charitable Sea Palling Independent Lifeboat, runs a single 6.3 Ocean Pro RIB, an Arancia ILB and a shoreline rescue Argocat, all covering the area between Eccles-on-Sea and Winterton-on-Sea.
Cardigan Lifeboat Station is located at Poppit Sands, on the southern side of the River Teifi estuary in North Pembrokeshire, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north-west of the town of Cardigan, Wales.
Skegness Lifeboat Station is located at Tower Esplanade, in the town of Skegness, on the east coast of England, south of the Humber Estuary and north of The Wash, in the county of Lincolnshire.
Ryde Inshore Rescue Service is located at Appley Lane, in the town of Ryde, on the Isle of Wight.
Happisburgh Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Inshore lifeboat station close to the village of Happisburgh in the English county of Norfolk in the United Kingdom. Since 2003 the station boathouse has been re-located from the village to an area south called Cart Gap. This is because the beach below Happisburgh disappeared due to coastal erosion and the stations slipway and access was washed away. The original boathouse in the village is now used for training.
Eastbourne Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat station in the town of Eastbourne in East Sussex. Founded two years before the RNLI was established, the station has operated continuously since 1822, and its lifeboats have been responsible for saving over 700 lives.
Brighton Lifeboat Station is located in the seaside town of Brighton in the county of East Sussex.
Hope Cove Life Boat, at Hope Cove in Devon, is a voluntary search and rescue service that operates an inshore rescue boat in the Bigbury Bay area. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) had a lifeboat station at Hope Cove from 1878 until 1930 which is now a listed building.
Boulmer Lifeboat Station is a former Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station, which was located at the village of Boulmer in the county of Northumberland.
Red Bay Lifeboat Station is located at Coast Road, Cushendall, County Antrim, a village at the mouth of the River Dall, in the Glens of Antrim, approximately 20 miles (32 km) north east of Ballymena, on the north-east coast of Northern Ireland.
Rye Harbour Lifeboat Station is located at the end of Harbour Road, on the west bank of the River Rother estuary, in the village of Rye Harbour, in the county of East Sussex.
Arran Lifeboat Station, sometimes known as 'Arran (Lamlash) Lifeboat Station', is located at Lamlash Pier in Lamlash, a village on the Isle of Arran, which sits in the Firth of Clyde, in the administrative region of North Ayrshire.
Youghal Lifeboat Station is located on The Mall, in Youghal, a town situated on the western bank of the River Blackwater estuary in County Cork, approximately 48.5 kilometres (30.1 mi) east of the city of Cork, on the south coast of Ireland.
Tramore Lifeboat Station is located on The Cove, near The Pier at Newtown, a suburb of Tramore, a seaside town in County Waterford, approximately 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south of Waterford, on the south coast of Ireland.
Clifden Lifeboat Station is located on The Quay at Clifden, a town on the northern shore of the Owenglin River, where it runs into Clifden Bay, in the Connemara region of County Galway, on the east coast of Ireland.
