Mersea lifeboat is celebrating ten years of saving lives
2:00pm Tuesday 13th September 2011
IT was an £81,000 gift that has saved hundreds of lives. Ten years ago the Dignity inshore lifeboat was launched at West Mersea after its predecessor, Himley Hall, came to the end of its working life.
The Atlantic 75 boat was bought by Abbey Funeral Service, in Drury Road, Colchester.
To date, it has been called out to 552 rescues.
Now staff at the funeral service, part of the Dignity Caring Funeral Service, want to mark the boat’s 10th anniversary and thank the crew for all the times they have risked their lives trying to save others.
Joe Szyszlyk, funeral manager, said the boat’s importance to the community was second to none.
He said: “They provide a valuable service for the community and one of the things that strikes me is their sense of pride.
“When I have spoken with people down there, there is such a sense of pride with the lifeboat and what they give back to society.”
The lifeboat was launched in September 2001 and named after the company which raised money to pay for it. Staff spent 18 months fundraising for the lifeboat, taking part in sponsored walks, runs and abseiling.
In addition, every branch had an RNLI charity box.
The rigid inflatable craft carries three crewmen and has a top speed of 32 knots.
The milestone anniversary for the Dignity is all the more poignant as its days are numbered. In about three years, it will be taken out of service and added to the RNLI’s relief fleet, replaced with a new model.
Martin Wade, deputy manager at West Mersea lifeboat station, said: “They nominally have a life of about 12 years and then they go to our relief fleet.
“When lifeboats are being serviced or need to go out of service for any reason, the relief fleet replaces them.”
Given the busy year the lifeboat has seen so far, it’s not surprising it is slowly coming to the end of its working life.
Mr Wade said there had been 60 rescues this year so far – making the past eight months the busiest the station has ever seen.
He said: “The last few years we have had 60 callouts for the whole year.”
To celebrate and support the work of the station and Dignity, staff at Abbey Funeral Service held a fundraising day last Friday and will host another this Friday.
There will be raffle and games, including a “guess the weight of a lifeboat suit” competition.
On Monday, staff of the funeral service, and friends, took part in a sponsored walk around the perimeter of Mersea Island, starting from the lifeboat station. Donations can be made to the station via cheques made payable to the West Mersea RNLI.
On Sunday, the main celebration is at West Mersea Lifeboat Station, where the crew will be thanked for their work by funeral manager Joe Szyszlyk.
Read these Local News stories