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Griff Rhys Jones takes a deep dive into the RNLI archive in search of stories – the touching, heroic, sad and sensational - as we celebrate 200 years of an iconic British institution.

Since 1824, RNLI crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,900 lives. It’s an extraordinary figure, especially given the RNLI is a charity. But it’s a charity fuelled by a deep UK wide passion – passionate volunteers (often down through the generations of the same family) who give their time and risk their lives to save others, passionate coastal communities who know the value of the service first-hand, passionate fundraisers who devote entire lifetimes to raising funds to support the RNLI, and of course passionate survivors who owe their lives to the RNLI.

On 4th of March 2024, this legendary charity reaches a 200 year milestone.

In RNLI at 200, sailor and long-standing RNLI supporter Griff Rhys Jones dives into the history of the Institution where he draws on stories from the recent RNLI 200 voices project, and rich material from their audio and film archive which stretches back over 70 years. There are also fresh contemporary interviews with historians Helen Doe and Sam Jones, together with key figures from the organisation including current Chief Executive of the RNLI, Mark Dowie, and former Operations Director, Michael Vlasto.

Many of the stories Griff shares are hugely moving and emotive, most of all they’re just touchingly human. From the story of Henry Blogg, the RNLI’s most decorated volunteer to Galen Bartholomew who tells how his great grandmother was rescued when the Suevic ran aground of Lizard point. Margate lifeboat coxswain Edward Parker shares memories of Operation Dynamo at Dunkirk and fundraising legend Lifeboat Mary tells how, if she could, she’d love to capture the smell of the lifeboat for a perfume. There are also tales of tragedy and heartbreak, including the haunting memories of Janet Madron from the night her husband, Stephen, was lost on the Solomon Brown in the Penlee disaster.

Woven throughout the crew of the Bonita, a 6800 tonne cargo vessel which met with disaster in the English Channel in brutal weather in the winter of 1981, share the story of their extraordinary rescue.

Producer: Dan Holland
Executive Producer: Pennie Latin-Stuart
An Adventurous Audio production for Â鶹Éç Radio 4

Photograph: Stephen Duncombe