A volunteer with St Bees RNLI has stood down from the life-saving charity after 35 years.
Marcus Clarkson joined St Bees RNLI in March 1987 as shore crew before becoming part of the boat crew a year later, passing out as a helm in 1998.
In 2007 he stood down as helm to take up the position as a Deputy Launch Authority, which involves helping authorise the launch of the lifeboat, looking after the crew and making sure both crew and boat remain operational.
Marcus first started coming to the lifeboat station as a young boy and could not wait to be old enough to go on the boat.
He has been involved in a wide variety of rescues including boats crashing on the rocks, unexploded bombs caught in fishing nets and helping to bring much needed supplies to the village when it was cut off by snow.
For two rescues Marcus was awarded a Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum and The Ralph Glister Award for the most meritorious service carried out by an inshore lifeboat.
During his time at St Bees there have been 51 lives saved, four different lifeboats and two different stations.
Marcus said: “I will miss the camaraderie, the banter and the regular training exercises but I don’t think I will miss the pager interrupting meals or waking me up in
the night.”
All the crew said they would like to thank Marcus for his 35 years of service to St Bees and wish him all the best in the future. Marcus has left the RNLI after moving away from the village.
Marcus handed in his pager and was presented with his Golden Jubilee Medal and letter of thanks for his service by his friend and St Bees RNLI president Ray Wilkinson.
