Teddington’s RNLI station welcomed in members of the public on Sunday 8 June for its annual open day, in an afternoon packed with river-themed activities, live demonstrations and the station’s inaugural duck race.
Crew members at the lifeboat station come from all walks of life and are all volunteers, doubling up as architects, lawyers, paramedics, train engineers, finance brokers and full-time parents, and ranging in age from 22 to 70.
Teddington is the furthest tidal point of the Thames and is an area marked by unique challenges, including fast-flowing currents, a hazardous weir, and two locks.
Each volunteer commits to at least 35-40 hours of availability a week, during which time they must remain close enough to the station to respond immediately to an emergency.
When paged, they have just three minutes to get to the station, 90 seconds to gear up and get changed, and must reach the scene within 15 minutes of the initial alert.
Meanwhile, the station’s education team runs more than 50 sessions a year, teaching around 3,000 young people from schools, scouts, and sea cadets about river safety.
Thames lifeboats are equipped with blue lights and sirens, and are each crewed by three to four volunteers.
The station’s portable defibrillator, added after it was used to save a man’s life, reflects how much of their work happens on the riverbank as well as on the water.
The Teddington crew urges anyone looking to get involved to visit the RNLI website, or to head down to the station to see for yourself what the role entails. Watch the video below to find out more.
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