Celebrating the RNLI family, past and present

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Shirley recognised at Trearddur Bay

Shirley Rogerson, awarded the British Empire Medal in HM The Queen’s 2014 Birthday Honours list, made history in November by receiving her medal at the lifeboat station that Shirley calls her ‘second home’. Her award was presented by the Lord Lieutenant of Gwynedd.

Shirley began volunteering with the RNLI in 1987 when she became Secretary for the local lifeboat guild as well as later serving as Souvenir Secretary and Press and Lottery Coordinator.

Incredibly, Shirley’s husband Bill received an MBE in 1995 for his own charitable work including with the RNLI. Meanwhile their children – Steve Rogerson and Alison Dixon – are volunteer lifeboat crew members, and ambulance technicians in their day jobs. So service to the community is quite a tradition within the family.

Deborah Ferns, who is the RNLI Community Fundraising Manager for the area, said: ‘This award is so very well deserved. Shirley gives up so much of her time for the RNLI. She gets the whole family involved in fundraising, which really is fantastic. It is even more inspiring as with her husband Bill she helps raise the vital funds needed to help the crew go to sea to save lives.’

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A lasting legacy

When a supporter kindly bequeaths to the RNLI in their Will, sadly we don’t always know why they chose our charity

Derek (Stanley) Willett of Lanarkshire passed away in 2013 and left a legacy to the RNLI. As far as we know he had no remaining close family.

He was born in Truro, Cornwall in May 1952. We believe his parents were Stanley and Sylvia Willett. Both had been in the RAF during the Second World War. After the end of the war, Derek’s father was employed as Chief Cook on the Empire Rhodes cargo vessel and became a night watchman in the 1950s. A newspaper cutting of the time states that Stanley Willett raised the alarm after he saw a man falling from the vessel Barboro into the dock. Perhaps Stanley talked to his son Derek about this traumatic event.

We were given some family photos and there are clues within: happy seaside holidays with Derek’s mum and dad and one we believe depicts Margate Lifeboat Station from around the 1960–70s.

If any of our readers knew Derek, we would love to find out more about our generous benefactor.

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Celebrating life

SAD PASSING OF LIFEBOAT MARY

Over the weekend of 17–18 January, stalwart volunteer Mary Taylor sadly passed away

Widely known and loved as ‘Lifeboat Mary’, she was born into a family of crew members and began volunteering when she was 4 or 5 years old. Our thoughts are with Mary’s family and friends, especially those at RNLI Padstow and Penlee where she’ll be particularly missed.

Mary’s father and grandfather were coxswains of Padstow lifeboats and Mary started fundraising in 1935, supporting the RNLI for nearly 80 years. She raised many thousands of pounds through knitting, embroidery, making toys, doing collections and selling lottery tickets. Her cross-stitched pictures of Padstow’s lifeboats grace the walls of the lifeboat station. She also baked biscuits and cake for the crews and made countless cups of tea proving she was as dedicated as the lifeboat crew and had a heart of gold. Mary featured in Nigel Millard’s photographic book Courage on our Coasts.

Moira Cameron – October 2014
Former Guild Chairman, Montrose

Frederick Campion – September 2014
Former Mechanic at Hoylake Lifeboat Station

Arthur Fidling – November 2014
Active member of Chester Fundraising Branch

Rita Graves – November 2014
Committee member, Gloucester Branch

Bryan Johnson – November 2014
Former Mechanic at Torbay Lifeboat Station

Philip Leport – December 2014
Crew Member at Montrose Lifeboat Station

Len Patten BEM – January 2015
Former Coxswain/Mechanic at Newhaven Lifeboat Station

Cmdr Gifford Rosling – December 2014
Former Area Organiser

Richard Secker – November 2014
Long-serving member of Lewisham Fundraising Branch

Bob Stammers – October 2014
Former Deputy Launching Authority at Clacton Lifeboat Station

Peter Tapner – November 2014
Former Cashier in Finance at Poole HQ

John Wain – December 2014
Former Chairman and Committee Member at North Staffordshire Branch

Tom Walters – December 2014
Former Exhibitions and Display Manager at Poole HQ

Charles Watton – January 2015
Former Finance Director at Poole HQ

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Support for RNLI families

The Royal Merchant Navy Education Foundation (RMNEF) is a charity close to the hearts of the RNLI but its aims and activities are often less well known in the wider maritime charitable sector. This charity was founded in 1827 and its main objective is to provide educational help to needy children of Merchant Navy seafarers, professional seagoing fishermen and RNLI lifeboat crew members who are currently serving, or have served, at sea and who have found themselves unable to support their children’s education needs.

Each beneficiary is assessed on an individual basis to meet the unique needs of the child. A range of support can be provided to ‘enable education’ such as school/university fees, living expenses, educational books or visits, equipment, school uniform, and even laptops. The end goal is to provide sufficient assistance in training for employment in the future.

For more information visit rmnef.org.uk, telephone 0118 997 7700 or email [email protected].