Eastbourne RNLI volunteers come together at Westminster Abbey to celebrate 200th anniversary

On March 4, volunteers from around the country came together at the abbey in London to celebrate the 200 years the service has provided of saving lives at sea.

To mark the significant milestone a Service of Thanksgiving was held at Westminster Abbey in the presence of His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent as President of the RNLI and attended by representatives from every RNLI lifesaving community around the UK and Ireland.

The service took place at the same time the RNLI founding papers were signed back in 1824.

In a statement, a spokesperson from the RNLI said: "On the 200th anniversary of the RNLI, there was a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, which saw volunteers from around the country come together to celebrate the bicentenary.

“Tom Mele and Guy from our operational crew, Sue Lane and Ronnie from our shop, Jane from our museum and David from water safety alongside Keith our Treasurer were all there to proudly represent Eastbourne RNLI.”

In appreciation of the RNLI, national monuments and historical buildings lit up in yellow on the evening of Monday, March 4. This included the London Eye, Dover Castle, the Millennium Bridge in Newcastle and Broughty Ferry lifeboat station in Scotland.

RNLI Chief Executive, Mark Dowie, said: “For a charity to have survived 200 years based on the time and commitment of volunteers, and the sheer generosity of the public donating to fund it, is truly remarkable.”