RNLI 200 Voices

In 2001, the RNLI launched a brand-new beach lifeguarding service. From struggling swimmers to stranded surfers, RNLI lifeguards have been keeping beaches safer for 25 years. They're highly trained, fit, and equipped to save lives.

This is their story. 

WE ARE LIFEGUARDS is an RNLI production 

rnli.org.uk/WeAreLifeguards

In this special one-off RNLI podcast, discover real Stories of Courage that explore the lifesaving work of courageous lifeboat crews during the Second World War.

Historian Dan Jones reveals true tales of volunteers who faced whole new dangers at sea between 1939 and 1945. You’ll hear stories about some of the most extraordinary Second World War rescues by RNLI crews, from pulling Battle of Britain pilots from the sea to helping evacuate soldiers from Dunkirk. Immerse yourself in interviews with heritage experts and descendants of wartime crew members, and hear fascinating extracts from our archive. 

This podcast was produced by Adventurous Audio and was made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund - with thanks to National Lottery players.

Read about more RNLI Stories of Courage from the Second World War

To hear other RNLI wartime accounts, listen to the below episodes from our 200 Voices series: 

Episode 15 – Lifesaving in Wartime: John Ray

Episode 50 – William Ivory on The Great Escaper

Episode 86 – For Pop: Dennis Lendrem

Episode 151 – Dunkirk Stowaway: Stanley E Holtom

Marking 200 years of lifesaving and clocking up more than 200,000 listens - this podcast shared daily short episodes, each one featuring the voice of someone whose life has been touched by the RNLI. Now a new taster episode gives you extracts from just a few of the 200 Voices - from comedy actor, writer and RNLI supporter Ruth Jones, to Stanley E Holtom, who accidentally went to the Dunkirk evacuations as a boy, 85 years ago.

200 Voices was produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI .

200 Voices has made the shortlist in the Listener's Choice category of the British Podcast Awards!

On the RNLI's 200th anniversary, the charity's Chief Executive reflects on his 5 years at the wheel

In the final episode of 200 Voices, hear from the person who has led the RNLI through some of its toughest challenges and into our 200th anniversary year: the charity's Chief Executive, Mark Dowie.

With a love for the RNLI that grew from helping with rescues as a young sailor and later signing up as a volunteer at a lifeboat station, Mark took the helm of the charity in 2019. He reflects on his favourite 200 Voices episodes, guiding the RNLI through stormy times, and meeting thousands of 'fundamentally decent' lifesavers and volunteers.

200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI   

Interview by the RNLI's Rory Stamp

Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls   

The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

200 Voices might be a podcast, but when the composer of the theme music created the soundtrack, it was a movie that played in his head

The sea doesn’t want for drama. And with its ever-changing moods - from blissful calm to surging swells - it has long inspired musicians. In it, Jon Nicholls, composer of the 200 Voices soundtrack, finds beauty and danger in equal measure. Jon reveals how he went about creating the music for the series, and shares some of the influences that shaped his choices, such as using folk instruments to nod to the ordinary people who have - and still do - put to sea to help others.

Hear about the movie that played in the composer’s head from the outset. It’s no coincidence that listening to the soundtrack, one is reminded of the rise and fall of the waves. But the theme also traces the lifesavers’ journey, from launch to dry land - discover how Jon takes us on that journey with them.

Listen to the full version of the soundtrack or search Jon Nicholls on soundcloud.com

Learn more about Jon's work at jonnicholls.com

200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI   

Interview by Adventurous Audio

Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls   

The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

The writer of One Crew – an RNLI history book – recounts some of the names and stories that time forgot

Over 200 years the RNLI has saved more than 144,000 lives. Many rescues and achievements are rightly celebrated, but some sit below the horizon. So when maritime historian Helen Doe set about the daunting task of capturing 2 centuries’ worth of lifesaving and loss, the author decided that it was time some of the lesser-known examples of courage, commitment and sacrifice were included.

In her book – One Crew: The RNLI’s Official 200-Year History – Helen charts the course of the charity, from its humble beginnings to the modern organisation it is today. Over such a span, stormy seas are inevitable. The book explains how the RNLI navigated them, and endured. Along the way, we learn not just about the major milestones and headline-catching rescues, but of characters – some pivotal – and stories brought up from the depths.

Read more about One Crew and other books by the author at helendoe.uk

200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI   

Interview by Adventurous Audio

Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls   

The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

In Welsh, Porthdinllaen crew member and TV producer Mali Parry-Jones recalls the real-life drama of a call out to a sailor who’d suffered a stroke

Growing up on the Llyn Peninsula, Mali was always aware of her local lifeboat. Porthdinllaen RNLI was the constant backdrop to her childhood, whether she was hearing the maroons firing or pedalling her bike to spot the launch.

By 2012 Mali was a TV producer and new crew member, helping Welsh language channel S4C to document the departure of the station’s Tyne – the ‘big orange boat’ she remembered arriving in the 1980s – and the new Tamar class that replaced it. In this episode, she describes one of her most memorable shouts aboard the Tamar, and the lifelong bond it created with two Guernsey sailors.

200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI   

Interview by Adventurous Audio

Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls   

The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

The force behind the launch - Mark Smith on powering his crew to a Silver Medal rescue 

When his pager went off on 20 May 2021, Trearddur Bay RNLI Tractor Driver Mark Smith knew exactly what it was about. Moments before, he’d looked out of his window and spotted three surfers struggling in treacherous swell and waves. 

Mark talks about the incredibly challenging shout, which led to his fellow volunteer crew members receiving Silver and Bronze Medals, and Mark himself receiving the Director of Operations Commendation. Mark shares what kept him calm facing the worst sea conditions he’d ever experienced – and how everyone played a vital part.  

200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI   

Interview by the RNLI's James Dwyer

Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls   

The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

The charity's founder was a man on a mission. In his words from 1823, we see the same guiding vision that’s saving lives 2 centuries later

On 28 February 1823, RNLI founder Sir William Hillary wrote his Appeal to the Nation. It set out his vision for a voluntary organisation, supported by charitable donations to save lives at sea. A vision so forward-thinking that its principles hold true today.

As Heritage Archive and Research Manager, it’s Hayley Whiting’s job to look after this document, and the thousands of others that chart the RNLI’s evolving response to the ‘preservation of life’.

On a tour that takes in barometers, medals, rockets and chocolate, Hayley talks us through the Appeal, and explains why Hillary would still recognise the modern RNLI by its founding values: that whoever you are, you will be rescued; that we will find new ways to keep everyone safe; and that we will share our expertise with like-minded people around the world.

200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI   

Interview by the RNLI's Rory Stamp

Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls   

The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200