He’s cooked around the world and applied make-up to Hollywood stars – but Hairy Biker Dave Myers never forgets his roots in a small lifeboating community

What’s your first memory of the RNLI?
I was born in Barrow in Cumbria and my dad used to take me out on his motorbike to Roa Island, where the lifeboat station is.

I remember putting pennies in the collection boxes and watching the lifeboat launch. Then I moved to the island and got into sailing – I’m an ex Roa Island Boating Club champion! I sailed a catamaran in races with a lifeboat crew member. These days I have a Dutch barge on the Thames. I lived in that while I was doing Strictly Come Dancing.

You’ve travelled to some of the most beautiful places in the world – what keeps you coming back to Roa Island?

Roa Island is basically a rock with 45 houses on it, linked to the mainland by a causeway. There are no trees. But it’s beautiful and I love the culture here.

Being industrial and coastal, Barrow has a strong biking and boating culture. You’ve got the coast on three sides – and the cheapest yachting in Britain, because you can keep your boat on a mooring with access whenever you want. This area is home for me. This is one of those places where the people care.

As a self-confessed petrolhead, what do you think of the RNLI’s powerful craft?

I’m good mates with Paul, the Barrow lifeboat Mechanic. He’s shown me around the Barrow Tamar class lifeboat and it’s like the Starship Enterprise!

The equipment is all top-quality – and quite right too. Because if these men and women are going to volunteer to go out in all weathers, they need the best kit. The stations, the lifeboats, the gear – they always look ready for the next rescue.

… and the charity?
Like everyone, I have a great deal of warmth for the RNLI. I love the way the training has got better and better, which means those amazing volunteers can just get on with it. What also gets me is how it manages to be independent of the Government, surviving on donations. It makes me feel proud, that. There are some very generous people in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Me and Si have been on boats abroad and said to each other: ‘If something went wrong now, who would come and get us? There’s no lifeboat service in this country!’

MY FAVOURITE …
FILM: The Piano Player
‘It was great to work with Dennis Hopper – and to sleep under canvas in the South African desert.’

COUNTRY: Thailand
‘The people never let you down and neither does the food.’

DANCE: Pasodoble
‘We were about to perform it on Strictly to a Meatloaf song when Meatloaf himself sent me a good luck message!’

FOOD: Sushi
‘The best I tasted was at a Tokyo fish market. It’s simple food put together with amazing skill. It takes 10 years to become a Sushi master.’

WHO IS DAVE MYERS?
Dave worked as a make-up artist on feature films and TV dramas before befriending fellow biker Si King. Their shared love of motorbikes, food and travel led to a career change. They became the lovable TV presenters now best known for their gastronomic road trips.