Three volunteers for Teignmouth Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) have successfully passed recent training assessments.

Volunteer helm James Stoyle achieved revalidation in his SAR Unit Commander Assessment, James Thomas passed his tractor driving and head launcher assessments, and new recruit Lee Smith successfully passed out to become a fully qualified member of the volunteer shore crew.

‘Training is a vital part of ensuring the volunteer crew remain ready and able to save lives at sea,’ a Teignmouth RNLI spokesperson said. ‘Assessment days recognise the hard work of all the volunteers, who come together working well as a team and reaching the high standards the RNLI sets, the spokesperson added.

Lifeboat Operations Manager, Andy Lilburn agreed and commented, ‘our volunteers train hard all year round, it’s great to see them get the recognition they deserve and to see newly qualified crew develop the skills needed to save lives at sea’.

James Stoyle, who has been a volunteer at Teignmouth RNLI for 18 years became helm five years ago. For his revalidation assessment, an RNLI assessor visited Teignmouth Lifeboat Station last week to observe James leading a volunteer crew in planning and executing a search pattern on the water. James had to demonstrate his knowledge of the emergency procedures required to keep the crew safe while saving lives at sea. James also had to sit a written theory paper on the International Regulations for the Prevention of Collision at Sea (IRPCS), focusing on RNLI guidelines for search and rescue operations including the co-ordination of the volunteer crew and navigational safety.

On finding out he had successfully passed James extended his ‘thanks to those at the station who have been involved in the continual training, giving up their time for additional training exercises and for the support of fellow volunteers at the station’.

On the same evening, James Thomas, who has spent the last 12 months training in launch and recovery to become head launcher and tractor driver, successfully passed his tractor driving and head launcher assessment. James joined Teignmouth RNLI is 2022 as volunteer shore crew. He said he was ‘keen to join the RNLI to learn new skills’ and is pleased to be able to ‘make a difference to the local community, and to work alongside the brilliant crew at Teignmouth RNLI’.

Teignmouth RNLI's James Thomas has passed his tractor driving and head launcher assessment
Teignmouth RNLI's James Thomas has passed his tractor driving and head launcher assessment (Contributed)

New recruit Lee Smith joined as a volunteer five months ago and has been training on the safe launch and recovery of Teignmouth’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat Claude and Kath. After last week’s assessment he has now passed out to become a fully qualified member of the volunteer shore crew. Lee said he joined Teignmouth RNLI to 'give something back to the local community and to help save lives at sea'.

New recruit Lee Smith is now a fully qualified member of the Teignmouth RNLI shore crew.
New recruit Lee Smith is now a fully qualified member of the Teignmouth RNLI shore crew. (Contributed)

The volunteers’ new qualifications come just weeks after Teignmouth RNLI announced that Andy Lilburn had taken up the role of volunteer lifeboat operations manager after Charlie Woolnough, who had held the role for 13 years, stepped down.

2024 has been an exciting year for Teignmouth RNLI as the station took delivery of a new lifeboat, the Claude and Kath, to replace The Two Annes, which retired after 18 years.