Teignmouth Lifeboat Station is urging supporters to help the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) Christmas song ‘Pull Away’ hit the number one spot in the festive music charts.

Teignmouth, along with the other four south Devon RNLI stations: Exmouth, Torbay, Dartmouth and Salcombe, are supporting the song written by Devon songwriter Chris Hoborn.

‘Pull Away’, played by band Police Dog Hogan, has been released to commemorate the RNLI’s 200th anniversary. The lyrics recount a fictional tale of a dramatic Christmas Day rescue.

‘The band and I were inspired by the fact that RNLI lifeboat volunteers are on call 365 days of the year, ready to drop everything to go to the aid of others at sea,’ said Police Dog Hogan lead singer James Studholme. ‘Christmas is just another day, now and just as it was back in the nineteenth century, where the song ‘Pull Away’ is set,’ he added.

The opening verse sets the scene of lifeboat crew members being woken in the middle of the night, to launch the lifeboat and go to the aid of a ship in distress in violent seas.

‘It is a very great honour to create a Christmas song to celebrate this extraordinary institution’s 200th anniversary. The work they do, entirely funded by the generosity of the public, is astonishing. The closing line of the song, ‘There’ll be 12 more at the table for lunch on Christmas Day’, reflects that,’ James continued. ‘We very much hope this one finds a tiny place in the pantheon of Christmas singledom.’

As well as portraying what life is like for RNLI volunteers, the song also shares the experiences of family members who are left at home waiting for their loved ones to safely return home after a rescue.

‘Christmas is a time for family, but RNLI volunteer crews are ready to drop everything to help others in danger at sea, no matter what the weather, or the time of day or night,’ said RNLI Associate director Anjie Rook, who is overseeing the charity’s 200th anniversary activity. ‘The RNLI is marking 200 years of saving lives at sea this year – that’s 200 years of depending on the bravery and sacrifice of volunteers giving their time to save others,’ she added.

The accompanying music video was filmed at Selsey RNLI lifeboat station and features the band playing inside the boathouse, interspersed with RNLI archive footage.

The band has promised to play a free gig on the south Devon coast next year if ‘Pull Away’ does hit the top spot in the music charts for Christmas. ‘If ‘Pull Away’ makes it to number one it will frame a fitting end to the charity’s 200th anniversary year,’ said Torbay Lifeboat Station coxswain Andrew Medley.

RNLI lifeboats across the UK are launched over 100 times over the festive period. The charity’s lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives since the RNLI was founded on March 4 1824.

While much has changed in 200 years, the RNLI continues to depend on volunteers and donations.

‘Pull Away’ is available to stream or download across all platforms. The song aims to help drive awareness of the RNLI to help raise funds across the Christmas period.