Wells Lifeboat News

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Coronation medals presented to crew members

Sun 5 Jan 2025

RNLI Wells' Vice Chairman Sarah, Countess of Leicester presented longer-serving members of Wells lifeboat crew with medals to mark the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023. The Coronation Medal has been awarded to 400,000 people including those associated with coronation events, members of the armed forces, members of the prison service and front-line emergency service workers who havce completed five years continuous service by 6 May 2023. It continues a tradition of Coronation medals dating back to 1603 and King James I.

Wells' current all-weather lifeboat is named Duke of Edinburgh after the king's father Prince Philip. As the then Prince of Wales, Charles attached a plate engraved with a magpie to the boat when it was built in reference to HMS Magpie, Prince Philip's first sea-going command in the Royal Navy. 

Sheila Warner MBE

Wed 1 Jan 2025

We're delighted and proud to learn that Sheila Warner has been awarded an MBE for her 65 years of service to Wells RNLI and the Wells RNLI Lifeboat Guild. Sheila first joined the RNLI in 1969 where her husband Sonnie Warner was on the crew. She was a founding member of what was then the Wells-next the-Sea Ladies Lifeboat Guild and is is currently Vice Chair of the Guild as well as a valued member of the volunteer visits team showing people around the new lifeboat station and sharing her passion for and extensive knowledge of Wells and the lifeboat services.

Her husband Sonnie was originally crew on the Cromer lifeboat from 1958 to 1963 and then on the Wells boat for 29 years, stepping ashore and serving as shore crew from 1992 to 1998 and serving as a committee member until 2004.

Sheila has organised and assisted with countless station open days, carol services, spring fairs, Christmas stalls and appeals which have raised more than £500,000 over the last 10 years alone. She has also worked tirelessly to ensure the heritage of Wells Lifeboat Station is protected for future generations, cataloguing historic artefacts, many of which are on display today.

Sheila said: ‘I’ve really enjoyed my time with the RNLI, especially after my husband died it really became a lifeline. It is down to the Guild that I have kept on, we have all helped one another and I thank them most sincerely for all the help they have given me over the years.’

Also honoured by the King for their contribution to the charity and their communities in the New Year's Honours List were voliunteers from Douglas, Invergordon, Kirkwall, Looe and Red Bay stations and Aberdour RNLI committee.

One moment, one crew...

Thr 1 Aug 2024

As the RNLI celebrates 200 years of life-saving this year from 1824-2024, volunteers at RNLI lifeboat stations around the UK gathered to mark the anniversary with a photograph taken at 18:24 on 1/8/24. These images are a snapshot of the people currently continuing the instituition's proud history around the coast. Our thanks to Mark Frary for the drone photography at Wells.

Summer holiday events

Sat 27 Jul 2024

Annual Lifeboat Service on Wells quay 2023

Cromer lifeboat RNLB 16-07 'Lester'

Summer is here and with it usually comes to chance to visit to the seaside and perhaps an RNLI lifeboat station. This August, we have three different events as well as our shop and viewing gallery at the station being open from 10-4 on as many days as we can manage through the school holidays.

On Wednesday 7th August, we'll be doing our bit for Wells Carnival week with the station open to visit all day from 10am through to around 8pm. There will be a chance to see the boats and chat with our crew and volunteers.

The following Sunday 11th August, our Shannon-class all-weather lifeboat will be launching around 9.30am to attend Sheringham's annual lifeboat day off Sheringham prom and beach. It wiill be joined there, in this 200th anniversary year for the RNLI, by both Sheringham's Atlantic class lifeboat and Cromer's Tamar-class all-weather lifeboat, the first time the current boats at these three neighbouring lifeboat stations have been together in one place (all subject, of course, to any operational requirements). The event in Sheringham starts around 10am and there's plenty to do all day in town afterwards, with stalls and refreshments and later the Sheringham Shantymen and a service of thanksgiving at Sheringham lifeboat station at the west end of Sheringham prom.

Our own annual thanksgiving service is on Sunday 18th August this year, with both Wells lifeboats launching and coming up to the quayside for a short service for crew, famillies, supporters and the wider public. Many small boats also anchor in the channel to join in.

For more details, please see our events page... we hope you can join us!

Aurora at the boathhouse 10/5/24

10/5/24

All of the UK was treated to a spectacular display of the northern lights on 10 May with the strongest forcecast geomagnetic storm for nearly 20 years. Big displays are normally restricted to locations further north though the aurora can be seen from Wells and along the north norfolk coast as pillars and patterns on the horizon several times a year. The lights usually appear to the naked eye as grey or white patches and patterns with red and green and other colours normally only being visible on a long exposure photograph.

This Friday was different with a very strong display that was high enough to appear overhead and to the south and not just on the horizon. Faint colours were also visible to the naked eye if you were lucky enough to be in a dark enough spot.

On Friday night, our inshore lifeboat was called out to assist two persons cut off by the tide on the marshes at Stiffkey and several volunteers, including shore crew member Debbie Carter de Bois who took these images, stayed on at the boathouse after recovering and rehousing the lifeboat to enjoy the spectacle.

Riders of Charity call in at Wells

6/4/2024

Riders of Charity arrive at Wells with some of the crew

Riders of Charity tour with members of the Wells crew

Charity bikers Riders of Charity called in at Wells on a whistlestop weekend tour of Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk lifeboat stations, meeting some of our volunteer crew at the station and stopping for a cup of tea before setting off eastwards for Sheringham, Happisburgh and beyond as far as Southwold, with a ride up the east coast visiting Skegness, Mablethorpe and Cleethorpes on Sunday.

The group was founded in 2020 and has raised over £18000 for various charities with a series of adventure rides and shorter days out. This Norfolk event was a precursor to their main ride this year, a week long 500 mile tour of Scotland.

This year, the riders are raising funds for the RNLI, Alzheimer's Society and Mental Health Motorbike and we wish them well on their adventures...

Station tour dates for 2024

Tue 6 Feb 2024

Our volunteer guides have posted dates for more boathouse tours in 2024. These are free 50 minute visits which take small groups around the lifeboat station and explain our work and chat about the boats and equipment we use. There are four tours per month up to September and tours must be booked in advance using the EventBrite link below. 

Please note that you can usually come in and see both lifeboats from the viewing gallery whenever the shop is open (generally Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, 10-4 with additional days when we can) and that we are sometimes able to have the big doors at the front of the boathouse open in good weather so that Launch A Memory donors can see and get a picture with the names on the bow of the all-weather lifeboat. So you can usually get to see the boats and names if you are in Wells at the weekend and don't have to wait for a tour.

That said, the tours are popular so book on the link below soon if you'd like a spot... we look forward to seeing you!

RNLI 200th Anniversary Weekend

Thr 25 Jan 2024

The RNLI is celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2024. Wells RNLI is marking this with a weekend of activities and events in conjunction with Wells Maltings from 1st to 3rd March 2024 and a free exhibition which runs until 9th. For full details, see our events page.