April 24 Combined - Flipbook - Page 12
Hayling HeraldCommunity update
RNLI thanksgiving
JACK Anson was born and raised on Hayling
Island and volunteered at the Lifeboat Station just
two months after his 17th birthday.
He had always felt a close connection to the sea
and was even on the water in a lifeboat on his 21st
birthday.
In June 2020, just two years after joining the crew,
Jack was involved in one of the most challenging and
dramatic rescues Hayling has seen in recent years.
The crew battled two-metre waves in terrible
weather, to reach a stricken yacht in Chichester
Harbour. Through exceptional teamwork, skills and
a huge amount of courage and determination in the
adverse conditions, the crew saved the lives of three
people that day.
Jack has now been a volunteer for over five years
and just passed out as a D Class helm. Lifeboat
Operations Manager, Damon Repton said: ‘It takes a
great deal of training, dedication and commitment to
reach this level, and we know Jack will do a fantastic
job. He is passionate about the RNLI and understands the importance of training and developing a
sustainable crew for the future.’
Jack said: ‘It means a lot to have become a helm,
and I’m grateful for all the training I’ve had and the
experience I’ve gained. I’m looking forward to passing on that knowledge to the crew who are coming
up – to help them develop and progress in their own
journeys in our joint mission to save lives at sea.’
By Cat Dawtrey from Hayling RNLI
LAST month, the RNLI marked 200 years of
saving lives at sea, and Hayling Lifeboat Station is
proud to have played a part in those two centuries of life saving.
We are grateful to the incredible volunteers
who give their time and commitment to save
others, and also our generous supporters, who
have powered crews of lifesavers for all those
years.
To mark the bicentenary, representatives from
across the charity gathered at Westminster Abbey
for a Service of Thanksgiving, and amongst those
attending were two of Hayling’s fantastic volunteers – helm Tom Lincoln and dedicated crew
member Janet Denman.
Janet said she was immensely proud and felt
privileged to represent the station. She joined the
crew in November 2016, following a challenging
year in her life. Having always wanted to be a
part of the RNLI, she plucked up the courage to
volunteer and said: ‘You could say the lifeboats
saved me without getting wet’.
She believes it has made her a stronger person
and explained: ‘I feel part of a special family who
all look out for each other – and even when the
12
pager goes off at 2am, I’m happy to get up and go
as I feel lucky to be a member of that family.’
She remembers her first rescue was a boy who
had been washed out to sea in a rubber boat.
‘As we approached he held his arms out to us,
and it meant so much to know we had made a
difference to someone’s life. I’ll never forget that
feeling.’
Her most important learning is that life can
change in a second: ‘No one goes out to sea
intending to get into trouble, but if they do, the
RNLI will always be there to save them.’
Tom Lincoln was also honoured to represent
the station at the service, having been on the
crew almost 15 years.
As a child he read Stormy Stan magazine and
loved sailing and all water activities. Volunteering with the RNLI seemed a natural progression
as he had always wanted to help others.
He finds it very rewarding and interesting
being in the lifeboat family and has met many
different people and personalities over the years,
not just at Hayling but at the RNLI head office
in Poole, when training with crew from other
lifeboat stations – coming together with the same
motivation – to save people in peril at sea.
Tom Lincoln and Janet Denman at the abbey