Appledore RNLI welcomes oldest living Royal to 200th anniversary celebrations

Volunteers at Appledore RNLI hosted a royal visitor yesterday (Monday, November 3) as the station marks 200 years of saving lives at sea in 2025.

His Royal Highness Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, president of the RNLI and at age 90, the oldest living member of the Royal Family, toured the station and met the crew, plus fundraising, shop and water safety volunteers.

Above: The Appledore RNLI volunteers and VIP guests with the Duke of Kent outside the lifeboat station. Credit: RNLI/Twonames_Photography

He heard about their roles and the commitment they give to the charity that saves lives at sea. RNLI lifeguards who provide safety patrols on North Devon beaches like Croyde and Westward Ho! were also represented and talked to the duke about their roles on a busy coastline.

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The Duke of Kent was accompanied by the Lord-Lieutenant of Devon, David Fursdon and welcomed to the station by Appledore’s volunteer lifeboat operations manager Bob Meller, coxswain Simon McCarthy and senior station technician Mark Williams, alongside area operations manager Phil Hill and RNLI chief executive Peter Sparkes.

His Royal Highness also met Martin Cox, who retired in April this year after 45 years on the crew, with the last 20 as full-time coxswain.

Martin comes from a family of lifesavers – his father, Des Cox, was station coxswain for 24 years from 1970 to 1994, following on from his own father who was also on the lifeboats.

Between 1999 and April 2025, Martin was involved in rescuing 700 people in difficulty at sea. Martin was presented with his long service certificate by the duke during the visit.

Martin said: “It was a real honour to meet the duke, who came to the station to hear about 200 years of service from Appledore RNLI.

“It came out of the blue to be personally presented with my service certificate. I felt truly humbled.”

RNLI chief executive Peter Sparkes congratulated the station on a special year of celebration and their incredible commitment to the charity and invited the duke to cut a beautifully decorated anniversary cake.

Above: HRH the Duke of Kent cutting the Appledore RNLI 200th anniversary cake. Credit: RNLI/Twonames_Photography

Mr Sparkes said: “Appledore RNLI has a notable lifesaving history. Over the past 200 years, the station has operated 18 lifeboats of various classes and has launched on service 2,848 times and saved 673 lives.

“That is a remarkable number of people who have been reunited with their families thanks to the selflessness, kindness and courage of Appledore lifeboat crew.

“I am most grateful to our president for taking the time to recognise this extraordinary heritage in Appledore’s 200th anniversary year and meet with so many of the station’s volunteers and staff.”

His highness watched on as the station’s Atlantic 85 class lifeboat, Glanely, was launched from the slipway into the harbour where the crew demonstrated its capabilities.

The visit concluded with the duke presenting a special certificate to the station to commemorate his visit during their 200th anniversary year. Coxswain Simon McCarthy also presented HRH with a framed 200th anniversary picture signed by the crew.

Above: HRH the Duke of Kent presenting Bob Meller, Appledore lifeboat operations manager with a special certificate in honour of visit and the station’s 200th anniversary. Credit: RNLI/Twonames_Photography

Reflecting on the visit, Bob Meller said: “It was great to welcome the charity’s president to the station and introduce the duke to the wide and varied volunteers we have within Appledore RNLI, who all play their part in keeping the station, and charity, afloat in the community.

“We are one big team, one crew and a visit like this brings everyone even closer together.

“It was especially important for the station that we could welcome His Royal Highness to Appledore during our 200th anniversary year. It’s been a busy one, not only with a variety of station and community events to mark the historic occasion, but also with a significantly higher number of emergency shouts than normal.

“The royal visit has been a real highlight as we look towards the end of this special year.”

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Appledore RNLI received the very first RNLI commissioned working lifeboat within the service on February 28, 1825, a year after the RNLI was founded.

Called Lifeboat No 1 The Volunteer, she went on to save 80 lives during her time at Appledore and began the lifeboat station’s 200-year history of unstinting voluntary service to save lives at sea on the North Devon coast.