TAKE ME TO THE RIVER
AS soon as people get in the water during training, you can see it on their faces—they know straightaway whether or not this job is for them,’ explains Chiswick RNLI helmsman Glen Monroe. ‘It’s a sobering and important exercise, because the Thames doesn’t let up. The river may look calm, but the tide is very powerful.’
‘We’re not here to judge or police the river. If people need us, we come’
Chiswick Lifeboat Station is one of four stations that operate on the River Thames, with crews of full-time members and volunteers working arounddisaster, when a boat full of partygoers collided with a dredger and 51 people lost their lives, showed that a dedicated rescue service was much needed on the Thames. Since beginning operations in 2002, the London lifeboat stations have collectively launched more than 14,000 times, saving hundreds of lives—a remarkable feat when you consider that the RNLI is funded by charitable donations and a portion of its crews is made up of volunteers, fitting in shifts around their day jobs.
