Star treatment for RNLI men

THREE RNLI crew members swapped the Newhaven Lifeboat for a limo on Saturday to celebrate their retirement.

THREE RNLI crew members swapped the Newhaven Lifeboat for a limo on Saturday to celebrate their retirement.

Coxswain Mike Beach, assistant mechanic Brian Ashdown and crewman Chris Bird have all turned 55 which means they have to retire from the service.

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A party was planned at the Villa Adriana in Newhaven, but as a surprise a white stretch limousine arrived at their homes to bring them and their partners to the venue in style.

They were driven into Seaford and around Jevington, while making use of the free drinks on offer in the limo. After an hour they arrived at the Villa Adriana, where the remaining Lifeboat crew formed a guard of honour for them to walk through.

Andy Macqueen, station mechanic, was pleased with how the party went. He said: 'It was really successful. They all had such a good time. They were very impressed with the limousine!'

He added: 'There were over 160 people at the party. A mixture of family, friends and associates all came along and had a lot of fun. Everybody thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The three of them have got to know a lot of people over the years between them they have served 75 years on the lifeboat.'

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The lifeboat crew from Le Havre also came to the party as they are twinned with the Newhaven station.

To top off the evening Mike, Brian and Chris cut a special cake with a picture of a lifeboat on it, made by an ex-crew member's wife.

The last exercise the men went on before they retired saw them taking part in a special air and sea 'rescue'.

Mike and Brian, both from Hillcrest Road, Newhaven, were winched into a helicopter off the Lifeboat from within the harbour, watched by fellow crew members and a growing crowd on the quay.

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The first man to go up was Mike. A quick turn around and the next person to be lifted was Brian. After a circuit in the air, both men were lowered together back on to the boat.

For insurance reasons Chris couldn't take part as he was already retired so he remained on the boat.

Later, Cox Mike Beach also took the opportunity to hand over the keys to the Lifeboat to his successor, Ian Johns.

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