Appledore RNLI 200 Lifeboat Open Day - Sunday 4 May
Sunday 4 May is Appledore RNLI’s Lifeboat Open Day.
This will be an extra special lifeboat day as Appledore RNLI celebrates its 200th birthday this year, having received the very first RNLI commissioned working lifeboat anywhere within the service.
There will be much to enjoy and the crew welcome everyone to join in the celebrations. Events included in the day include:
At 10:00 am, shouts permitting, Mollie Hunt, Appledore’s Tamar class all-weather lifeboat will be alongside Appledore Quay for the public to step aboard and see around the boat. It is advised to arrive early as the lifeboat can only stay on the quay for about two hours due to the tide.
Whilst Mollie Hunt is alongside, there will be stalls on the quay which include biscuit decorating, face painting, a treasure hunt and a BBQ. Music will be provided by the Appledore Band and Shanty singers.
11:30 Join in a History Walk starting from St Mary’s Church (suggested £5 donation)
From midday onwards there will be a lot going on back at the Lifeboat station at the other end of Irsha Street, including demonstrations and displays from other rescue services and local groups, lifeboat station history displays and behind the scenes talks, food stalls, children’s art display, raffle, music and more.
Unless involved in a shout, at 1.00 p.m. the Appledore lifeboats will be joined by lifeboats from their flank stations, Clovelly and Ilfracombe, to flotilla in from the bay and complete some on-water displays until around 2.30. These will be best viewed from the lifeboat end of Irsha Street.
At 2 pm there will be a second opportunity to join the History Walk from St Mary’s Church (suggested £5 donation)
At 3.30 the memorial plaque will be unveiled at the lifeboat station commemorating the first three lifeboat men who were ever lost from an RNLI lifeboat, on 24 November 1833 from Appledore.
The day is due to end at 16:30.
Apart from Churchfields, Oden Road and the West Appledore (Torridge Road) Long Stay Car Park, there will be additional car parking made available at Skern Lodge on their field! There will be no public parking by the lifeboat slip.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.