Home
Donate
Callouts
News
Launch & Recovery
Arctic 24 Lifeboat
Launch Vehicle
Crew
History
Gallery
Join the Crew
Operating Area
Questions
Links

 

Older News

03/07/09 - Sidmouth Lifeboat Station Extension Opened. Sidmouth Lifeboat today opened the new extension to the Lifeboat station. The ceremony was conducted by Sir John Cave, with Sidmouth Lifeboat Patron Judy Spiers officially opening the new LIfeboat Station Extension. Dave Brooks was also present and said a few words about his upcoming ocean rowing challenge. Dave is donating some of the money raised through his challenge to Sidmouth Lifeboat to help pay for the new extension. There is a public open day on Sunday, July 26 from 10.30am-4.30pm, during which time Dave Brooks will arrive in his ocean rowing boat and the Lifeboat Station extension will be open to the public. 
14/02/09 - Dave Brooks Ocean Rowing Challenge. Dave Brooks, a 23 year old student, is undertaking a mammoth Solo Ocean Rowing Challenge to raise funds for Sidmouth Lifeboat, Guide Dogs for the Blind and the RNLI. Dave is planning to row the Atlantic Ocean, then pass though the Carribean and the Panama Canal and then row across the Pacific Ocean, finishing in Australia. The complete distance that Dave is planning to row is approximately 9000nm and all in the name of charity. 
30/01/09 - Sidmouth Lifeboat Crew Rescue Man From River. Sidmouth Lifeboat crew members Simon Sparrow, Phil Shepperd and John Fowler today rescued a man from the River Sid, who had jumped into the river to save his pet dog. A ladder from the Lifeboat station was lowered to the man, who was then able to climb un-aided back up to the top of the river bank.
29/01/09 - Lifeboat Station Extension Starts. Construction of the new extension to the Sidmouth Lifeboat station officially started today. Sidmouth Lifeboat Patron Judy Spiers, ceremonially laid the first brick, which was then followed by a blessing of the new extension by Sidmouth LIfeboat Chaplain, The Rev Peter Leverton. The new extension will provide a new crew training room, purpose built shower and changing facilities for the crew and a garage to store the Rescue Tractor. The construction of the extension will then allow other rooms inside the Lifeboat Station to have their uses changed, providing a purpose built storage room and operations room. 
22/10/08 - OFCOM Charges for Radio Licence. Currently OFCOM ( The organization responsible for licensing the radio spectrum ) are consulting with users about the possibility of charging for ship to shore communications. As Sidmouth Lifeboat currently use a private radio channel for such ship to shore communication, there is a great possibility that we will now face a large increase in the licence fee for the use of our private channel. This increase in radio licence fee could have a potential impact on the lifesaving service that Sidmouth Lifeboat provide, especially when coupled with the current economic crisis. There is currently an online petition to No 10 Downing street, seeking exemption for lifesaving charities using the marine radio spectrum. 
12/10/08 - Sidmouth Waitrose Donation. Sidmouth Lifeboat were today presented with a cheque for £310 from Sidmouth Waitrose. As part of Waitrose's commitment to the local community, each month a £1000 donation is split between 3 charities. Customers vote for which charity they would like to donate the money to, with Sidmouth Lifeboat being one of the first 3 chosen charities. Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to thank Waitrose staff & customers for their donation and for their continuing support.
24/08/08 - Busy Summer So Far. This summer has been a busy summer so far for Sidmouth Lifeboat. 10 Callouts have been attended to with the Pride Of Sidmouth rescuing people from the base of a coastal stack at Ladram Bay, being involved with a long night time search at Lyme Regis and the rescue of multiple swimmers from the rock groynes at Sidmouth. For full details of all Sidmouth Lifeboat callouts, please see out callouts page.
19/08/08 - Diver Training. The crew of the Sidmouth Lifeboat today undertook advanced diver recovery and medical training. The crew were instructed on the best methods of recovering a diver from the water and the treatment of various diving diseases and conditions.
10/08/08 - West Dorset Accordian Band Donation. The West Dorset Accordian Band today made a kind donation of £1165 to Sidmouth Lifeboat. The donation is the result of concerts given throughout the year and proceeds from collections during Folk Festival week. Sidmouth lifeboat would like to thank the West Dorset Accordian Band for their kind donation.
10/08/08 - Middle Bar Singers Do It Again. Once again the Middle Bar Singers have been raising money throughout Folk Week for Sidmouth Lifeboat. This year they have raised £626 during Folk Week and Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to thank all the MIddle Bar Singers for their continued support.
01/07/08 - Sidmouth Lifeboat Legacy. Sidmouth Lifeboat today received a £10,000 legacy from the estate of Nesta Broudin. Unfortuantely neither Sidmouth Lifeboat or the Solicitors acting on behalf of Mrs Broudin's estate, have been able to any living decendents of Mrs Broudin to pass on our appreciation for Mrs Broudin's legacy. If you are a decendent of Mrs Broudin, please contact Sidmouth Lifeboat at info@sidmouthlifeboat.org.uk 
14/06/08 - Beer & Sidmouth CoastGuard Teams Award Ceremony. Several members of Sidmouth Lifeboat today attended an award ceremony for the Beer & Sidmouth Coastguard teams. Chief Coastguard Peter Dymond presented the teams with the Chief Coastguards Commendation for their service during the grounding of the MSC Napoli at Branscombe.
24/01/08 - Sidmouth Golf Club Captain Charity Donation. Sidmouth Lifeboat today received a cheque for £2,200 from Sidmouth Golf Club. Sidmouth Lifeboat were chosen as the Captain's Charity of the year and Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to thank Sidmouth Golf Club for their support and kind donation.
20/01/08 - First Callout Of 2008 Is A Double. During Sunday morning training, Sidmouth's Lifeboat Pride Of Sidmouth, was tasked twice by Portland Coastguard to attend 2 separate incidents. The first tasking was to a report of a person on the top of the cliffs at Connaught Gardens, Sidmouth. Just as the Lifeboat arrived on scene, the incident was resolved and the Lifeboat re-tasked to search an area from Jubilee Gardens to Littleham Cove, Budleigh Salterton, for a missing person. Half way through the search the person was found safe & well and the lifeboat stood down. The double callout marked the first shout for trainee crew member Phil Marrish.
21/12/07 - Tribute To Hugh Pratt. Sidmouth Lifeboat today received a kind donation of £1000 from Mrs Deborah Woollett in tribute to her late father Mr Hugh Pratt. Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to thank Mrs Woollett for her donation that will go a long way to allow Sidmouth Lifeboat to keep providing a life saving service in the Sidmouth area.
20/12/07 - Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year. Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to wish all our supporters and members a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year. We would also like to thank all those who have made donations and offered their assistance over the past year.
22/08/07 - Lifeboat Flag Day Success ( Part 2 ). Sidmouth Lifeboat today held the second part of our annual Flag Day. During the day members of the Support Team and Crew were busy collecting outside Sidmouth Waitrose raising a magnificent £700.74. When added to the total raised during the Flag Day held on 8th September, this brings the total raised this year on Flag Day to £1760.07. Once again Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to thank all those who made a donation during the day and Sidmouth Waitrose for allowing us to collect at their branch.
08/09/07 - Lifeboat Flag Day Success.Sidmouth Lifeboat today held our annual Flag Day. Pride of Sidmouth was on display in the Market Square, with crew and the support team out collecting in the town. A grand total of £1059.93 was collected during the day, with crew member Phil Shepperd rasing a record beating £163.95. Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to thank all those who made donations through the day.
22/08/07 - Sidmouth Lifeboat History Online. The history of the Sidmouth Lifeboats is now available online. Click here to go to the Sidmouth Lifeboat History page.
22/08/07 - New Binoculars Arrive. The new set of Steiner Commander Jubilee7x50 sponsored by The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, Lyme Regis have now arrived and entered service on the Pride Of Sidmouth. The new binoculars are auto focusing with full marine water proofing and allow the crew much greater search capabilities during their use.
22/08/07 - Napoli Gallery Added. A new gallery has been added showing images of the MSC Napoli stern section. The images were taken during a training exercise on Tuesdat evening. To view the images go to the Gallery Homepage.
13/08/07 - The Napoli Effect Continues. The MSC Napoli is still having a beneficial effect on the fund raising of Sidmouth Lifeboat. Fundraising this year is currently 65 % up on the same period as last year. This can be directly attributed to the greater numbers of people who have come to the Port Royal end of the Esplanade to view the Napoli.
10/08/07 - Folk Festival Support. During the recent Sidmouth Folk Festival several bands of singers have been fund raising on behalf of Sidmouth Lifeboat. The Middle Bar Singers held an auction during the week, where many Lifeboat artifacts and items were auctioned. Below are the amounts raised by each band of singers.
Middle Bar Singers £505.58

Loose Knit Band

 £342.52

Amy Crofters

 £232.19
Bare Knuckle Blues £146.01
Brian Caulderbank £54.61
Miscellaneous

£48.13
Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to thank each of the bands for their support and fund raising efforts during the week and hope to see them again next year.
01/08/07 - Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes Donation. The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, Lyme Regis have kindly sponsored the purchase of 1 new dry suit, 2 new lifejackets and a new set of marine binoculars. The equipment costing £1181.00 will enable provide the crew with greater personal protection during lifeboat operations. Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to thank the The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, Lyme Regis for their support and kind donation.
15/07/07 - Ashcombe Village Club Donation. Ashcombe Village Club have today made a kind donation of £500 to Sidmouth Lifeboat. The donation will go towards the purchase of a new pulse & oxygen meter for the Lifeboat First Aid kit and towards the purchase of a dedicated Oxygen and First Aid bag for the Lifeboat Station. SIdmouth Lifeboat would like to thank Ashcombe Village Club for their kind donation.
25/05/07 - Pride Of Sidmouth AIS Installed. The Pride Of Sidmouth was today fitted with a new AIS system ( Automatic Identification System ). The AIS system allows the Pride Of Sidmouth to be seen by other similarly equipped vessels, through the transmission of data such as position, course, speed, and other ship data. The position of the Lifeboat can also be monitored by Portland Coastguard using the system.
15/04/07 - Norman Family Trust. Sidmouth Lifeboat today received a donation of £1000 from the Norman Family Trust. The Norman Family Trust has made many kind and generous donations to Sidmouth Lifeboat over the past years and we would like to thank them for todays kind donation and their continuing support.
10/04/07 - New Rescue Tractor Arrives. Sidmouth Lifeboat's new Rescue Tractor arrived today. The new tractor is fitted with a high power winch that is capable of recovering the Lifeboat and launch vehicle, should they become stranded in the sea. The winch uses a special rope that is as strong as steel wire, but will do less damage should it break. The tractor has now been tested by winching the Lifeboat launch vehicle up the beach.
25/03/07 - Workboat Certificate Issued. Sidmouth Lifeboat were today issued with our certificate of compliance with Regulation 5 of the Merchant Shipping ( Small Workboats & Pilot Boats ) Regulations.
22/03/07 - Sidmouth Lifeboat AGM. Sidmouth Lifeboat today held our annual AGM at the Anchor Inn, Sidmouth.
16/03/07 - MCGA Inspection. Sidmouth Lifeboat were today visited by an inspector from the Maritime & Coastguard Agency. The inspector was checking our compliance with the MCGA Work Boat Code of Practice. The Work Boat Code of Practice is the highest MCGA level of certification regarding Sidmouth Lifeboat's operations. Following the clarification of several items, Sidmouth Lifeboat should be awarded a certificate of compliance.
06/03/07 - Sid & Alma Saved. Sid and Alma today moved one step closer to being saved. Over 4000 people signed two petitions to save Sid & Alma, which was handed to East Devon District Councillor Christine Drew, the Chair Person of the Licensing Committee, on Monday 5th March. At a Licensing Committee meeting on the same day, it was unanimously agreed to recommend to the full Council, that Sid & Alma be allowed to remain on the sea front. This repeats the unanimous agreement of the Overview Committee.We trust that the full Council, meeting in April will follow the recommendations of it's two committees.
01/03/07 - The Napoli Effect. The grounding of the MSC Napoli has proven to be having a beneficial effect on the fund raising efforts of the Sidmouth Lifeboat Support Team. January saw the highest ever amount collected for that month and a daily record of £283.51 being collected on the January 21st. The trend has continued through February, with collections being almost treble of that collected in February 2006. The increased numbers of people coming to Sidmouth and making their way to Port Royal to view the stricken vessel, have greatly increased visitor numbers to the Lifeboat Station and helped boost collections.
23/02/07 - Branscombe Air & Classic Car Show. Sidmouth Lifeboat were today presented with a chouse for £500 from the organizers of the Branscombe Air & Classic Car Show. This donation follows many past donations from the Branscombe Air & Classic Car Show and Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to thank the Branscombe Air & Classic Car Show for their past and continuing support.
18/02/07 - Sidmouth Sunrise Trust Donation. Sidmouth Sunrise Trust today made a donation to Sidmouth Lifeboat of £1000. We would like to thank the Sidmouth Sunrise Trust for their kind donation.
02/02/07 - David Taylor Memorial Fund Donation. Sidmouth Lifeboat were today presented with a donation of £1200 from the David Taylor Memorial Fund. We would like to thank the David Taylor Memorial Fund for their kind donation.
20/01/07 - MSC Napoli Beached At Branscombe. The MSC Napoli was today beached at Branscombe following fears over her structural stability. Sidmouth Lifeboat was not launched as the operation is currently being handled by the MCGA and French Coastguard tugs.
05/01/07 - Sidmouth Golf Club Donation. Sidmouth Lifeboat were today presented with a cheque for £2200 from Sidmouth Golf Club. Sidmouth Lifeboat were nominated as the Club Captains chosen charity for 2006. A series of fund raising events and golf matches were held and Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to thank Sidmouth Golf Club for their support in 2006.
26/12/06 - Thanks For Your Support. Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to express our thanks to all our supporters over the last year and wish all of you a happy and prosperous 2007!
26/12/06 - Boxing Day Swim. Sidmouth Lifeboat will be providing on-sea cover for the annual Boxing Day swim. The swimmers enter the water (weather permitting) at around 11am.
18/12/06 - Sid & Alma Go National. Following the recent complaint about Sid & Alma, a national campaign of support for the two Sidmouth Lifeboat collectors has sprung up. The BBC, National and Regional Newspapers have all reported the threat to Sid & Alma. The Independent Lifeboats UK web site have also setup an online petition to help save Sid & Alma. 
BBC News report on Sid & Alma
Sidmouth Herald report on Sid & Alma
Daily Mail report on Sid & Alma
10/11/06 - Sid & Alma Threat. Sid and Alma ( Sidmouth Lifeboat's collecting mannequins ) have been threatened with banishment from Sidmouth seafront following a complaint by a single Sidmouth resident. The complaint was made to the district council concerning the legality of Sid & Alma collecting money on the Esplanade. The Council, after consultation, have allowed Sid & Alma to remain on the sea front while the matter is resolved.
20/10/06 - New Alma. Today saw the arrival of a new Alma, one of the collecting mannequins outside the Lifeboat Station. Our previous Alma was starting to fall apart due to her hours of collecting and a replacement was needed. Fields of Sidmouth have kindly donated one of the old mannequins to Sidmouth Lifeboat to allow Alma to continue collecting outside the Lifeboat Station. ( Sid & Alma are the names of our two collecting mannequins )
14/10/06 - Betty Easey Coffee Morning. Once again Sidmouth Lifeboat have been the beneficiaries of Betty Easey's hard work and dedication to fund raising for good causes. On the 14th of October Betty held one of her legendary coffee mornings in aid of the Lifeboat. A superb £915 was raised during the morning and Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to thank Betty and her team for all their hard work.
30/09/06 - Lifeboat Station Visitor Numbers Up. Over the course of the summer, Sidmouth Lifeboat Station has been visited by a record number of visitors. The new viewing platform and improved displays, along with the new launch system and helped draw in more visitors than ever and this has been reflected in the collections at the boathouse. During September collections have regularly topped £100 per day. Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to thank everyone that visited the Lifeboat Station during the summer and invite them to visit us again.
23/08/06 - Flag Day Success. This years Flag Day has been the most successful ever for Sidmouth Lifeboat. During the day a massive £1852.85 was donated by members of the public. The Pride Of Sidmouth was on display in the Market Square giving members of the public a good change to view the new Lifeboat. The amount collected was helped by the good weather and by holding flag day earlier in the year.
19/08/06 - Flag Day. Sidmouth Lifeboat are holding our annual flag day in Sidmouth. The Lifeboat will be on display in the Market Place with members of the crew collecting and answering questions. Other fundraiser's will be located round the town and up at Waitrose.
17/08/06 - Folk Festival Success. Sidmouth Lifeboat have raised over £2800 during the Sidmouth Folk Festival. As mentioned below, The Middle Bar Singers and BarclayCard have raised over £1300. Many other donations from Folk Singers and members of the public have also boosted the amount taken. Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to thank the Middle Bar Singers and all those who raised funds or donated monies during Folk Week.
16/08/06 - Beer Regatta. Sidmouth Lifeboat will be attending Beer Regatta on Wednesday night 18.30, taking part in a display along with Exmouth Lifeboat, Coastguard Helicopter "Whiskey Bravo" and the Beer Coastguard Rescue team.
09/08/06 - Slaughter & May Donation. Top London based legal firm, Slaughter & May today made a donation of £250 to Sidmouth Lifeboat. Peter Skinner, cousin of crew member Chris Bass, won the amount in the firms charity prize draw and kindly asked for the money to be donated to Sidmouth Lifeboat. Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to thank Slaughter & May and Peter for their kind donation.
08/08/06 - Middle Bar Singers Fund Raising. Over £1,300 was raised by the Middle Bar Singers following an evening of Folk Singing and an Auction at The Anchor Inn. BarclayCard kindly matched donations up to £600 effectively doubling the amount raised on the night. Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to thank Middle Bar Singers, BarclayCard and all concerned for their kind efforts and donations.
31/07/06 - New Equipment for Sidmouth Lifeboat. Following a kind donation of over £600 by Ashcombe Village Club, Sidmouth Lifeboat has been able to purchase a new salvage pump for use by the lifeboat. The fully portable pump is capable of pumping 560 litres of water per minute and will be used to assist vessels taking in water at sea. A replacement EPRIB has also been purchased, as the previous EPIRB does not meet the latest criteria. Sidmouth Lifeboat would like to thank Ashcombe Village Club for their kind donation.
17/07/06 - Sidmouth Lifeboat In RIB Magazine. This months issue of RIB magazine features an article about the new Sidmouth Lifeboat. There is an in depth technical discussion of the lifeboat and some great action shots. For your copy visit your local newsagent or go to www.ribmagazine.com - issue August / September 06.
10/07/06 - Busy Period For Sidmouth Lifeboat. The last 6 weeks have been very busy for Sidmouth lifeboat. 8 callouts have been attended. Broken down vessels, missing persons, fires and a sailing fleet that got into difficulties have all been successfully dealt with. The recent Fire Brigade exercise was highly beneficial when Sidmouth LIfeboat were tasked to transport the Fire Brigade to Weston Mouth to deal with a chalet on fire.
27/06/06 - Fire Brigade Exercise. Sidmouth Lifeboat today under took a joint Lifeboat and Fire Brigade training exercise. The aim of the exercise was to familiarize both emergency services with each others equipment and to practice transporting the Firemen & their equipment to location on the shore that are not accessible from land.
21/03/06 - New Launch Tractor Arrives. Sidmouth Lifeboat today took delivery of our new launch tractor. The new tractor in a larger more powerful one and is needed to cope with the increased weight of the new Lifeboat and trailer. New features include a fixed under bonnet wash system, higher cab floor and a stainless steel bonnet.
20/03/06 - New Engines Installed. The Pride Of Sidmouth was today fitted with new 135Hp engines. The original 115Hp engines were replaced under Sidmouth Lifeboat's planned maintenance program and at the same time upgraded to give better towing capacity, increased speed, better durability and counter rotating propellers. The new engines are a V6 configuration that gives better torque and acceleration.
07/03/06 - New Launch Trailer Delivered. The new launching trailer for the Sidmouth Lifeboat, was today delivered. The current trailer is 7 years old and was in need of replacement due to the age of the trailer and the heavier weight of the new Pride Of Sidmouth Lifeboat. The new trailer has a higher load capacity and features several new systems to make the rigging of the lifeboat recovery net quicker and safer. The trailer also features a new roller system and extra lights to aid launch and recovery of the LIfeboat.
21/02/06 - Pride Of Sidmouth New Navigation System. The Pride Of Sidmouth was today fitted with a new navigation system. An upgraded GPS chart plotter, capable of displaying charts, radar images, echo sounder data, 3D graphics, engine management data and video images was installed in the navigators position. A new pod was build and installed in front of the helmsman position to house a smaller repeater of the main navigation displays. The crew have been training with the new equipment and found it to be a great improvement over the previous system.