Weymouth Lifeboat station played host to a very welcome visitor on Saturday 18th September when Clive Millward visited the station.
Originally, the day was meant to be the date of the naming ceremony of Weymouth’s new Atlantic 85 inshore Lifeboat. However for several reasons the ceremony had to be postponed to next spring.
Clive had intended to come to the ceremony partly as a visit to the Weymouth station to see the extension to the Inshore lifeboat boathouse which he had donated the funds for to the RNLI so, since he already had the date in his diary to come to Weymouth, he and close friends Morris and Anne Marie Stallard still wanted to come and visit the station.
When it was decided, some years ago, that Weymouth would have a new Inshore lifeboat, it threw up some difficulties in that the new vessel would not fit in the old lifeboat boathouse. Many different options were looked at in consultation with Weymouth Sailing Club, the Town Council and the Harbourmaster but in the end it was decided that a one metre extension would be just enough to house the new lifeboat.
On hearing this Clive, who has been a supporter of the RNLI for a number of years and has had close contacts with Weymouth for many years, decided that he would donate to the RNLI the funds to pay for the extension.
On his visit to the station Clive was able to meet several members of the volunteer crews and was given a guided tour of the ‘Ernest and Mabel’, the station’s all-weather lifeboat, as well as the new Atlantic 85 ‘Jack and Phyl Cleare’ in her new extended lifeboat house.
Chrissie Payne, Lifeboat Management Group Chair, said “The Crew and volunteers were delighted to, at long last, welcome Clive Millward to Weymouth Station. Clive, who is a regular RNLI donor, was given a thank you tour of the Station and the lifeboats and an opportunity to meet several of the crew.” Chrissie added, “Whilst adhering to our Covid restrictions, we were able to show Clive the importance of Weymouth Lifeboat Station, and to express our appreciation for his continued support.”
Clive (middle) with friends Morris and Anne Marie Stallard standing in front of the extended lifeboat boathouse
Clive inspects the new Inshore lifeboat
