On the role:

L: ‘I’m immensely proud of Gary’s role with the RNLI and am behind him 110%. I believe the commitment has to be from the families as well or it’s not possible to do it.’ G: ‘I’ve now been on the crew for 17 years. It started when the maroon went off only a few days after we moved to Appledore. I didn’t have any boating experience but a couple of days later I went down to the station, which is only about 100m down the road, and got chatting. I can’t remember now if I volunteered or got press-ganged!’

On getting to shouts:

L: ‘I’ve been left in local pubs and restaurants to eat my dessert and pay the bill! There have also been times when we’ve stayed home because we’ve known they’re short of crew. We don’t have children so Gary’s role doesn’t have a massive impact in that way but we sometimes have to put our plans on hold or cancel them.’ G: ‘My current workplace is about 10 minutes’ drive from the station so during working hours I usually only get to the station in time to go out on the all-weather lifeboat though I'm a helm for the inshore.’

On work life:

L: ‘Most of Gary’s employers have been really understanding. Currently he’s working for the former Second Coxswain so he’s very supportive.’ G: ‘He’s brilliant – but in these financial times it does begin to make you think twice about leaving a job unfinished. Lindsay’s job involves long hours too so sometimes we’re like ships that pass in the night.’

On the commitment:

G: ‘Appledore is having its busiest year so far with an average of one shout a week. We exercise every Tuesday evening for 2–3 hours. Then there’s radio communications, first aid and other training sessions but as these stretch over many nights they can be difficult to commit to. On occasions I’ve found it easier to take a week’s unpaid leave from work and do a full-time course at Poole. I and other senior crew also invest a lot of time in passing on our local knowledge to younger crew members.’

On the potential danger:

L: ‘I can watch the lifeboat and cringe at some of the sea conditions but I know they have every type of equipment and training they need. The danger is always there but we have a marine scanner at home and hearing the communication between the lifeboat and the Coastguard is a real reassurance – it’s my comfort blanket.’ G: ‘There’s so much going through my mind when we’re out on a shout that I don’t have time to think about the danger. It usually takes a few days and then it hits you: "Did I really do that?" or "I was lucky that night." But I have so much confidence in the boat and the RNLI training that I don’t worry at the time. When I’ve been seasick out on the all-weather lifeboat and it’s turned out to be a false alarm or a hoax then I have thought: "What am I doing here?" But when you do something for somebody and they need you …’

On the medal rescue:

L: ‘When Gary got the RNLI’s Bronze Medal for Gallantry [see the Lifeboat Autumn 2005] I was absolutely bursting with pride and excitement. He called me at work with the news and I screamed – everyone wondered what had happened. He’d been on the crew 14–15 years and there’d been some pretty hairy experiences. I was so pleased for him to get this recognition. ‘I was listening to the whole rescue and for the first time ever, we heard panic in the younger crew member’s voice and knew it was bad out there. I had the pleasure of meeting Stephen [the casualty] knowing that Gary had saved his life. And, of course, I cried the whole way through the medal ceremony in London.’ G: ‘Fellow 2006 medallists Gavin Forehead [St Agnes], Mark Pollard [Falmouth] and I are now best buddies and see each other regularly. We’d never met before the medal ceremony. In fact, Lindsay and I now have bonds with other lifeboat stations including Tower. It’s about being a family within a family.’

Final word:

L: ‘I still get that buzz when I tell people that my husband’s an RNLI lifeboat crew member.’ G: ‘It’s too easy to sit back and do nothing. Sometimes people think we’re paid and on good money so we have to educate them. Being an RNLI volunteer is about putting something back into the community.’