TowerRNLI

The busiest station with the RNLI covering the tidal Thames in London between Barking and Battersea. Launching on average 500 time per year.

12/05/2026

We’re incredibly proud that some of our Tower RNLI volunteers were invited to this year’s Buckingham Palace Garden Parties.

Friday 8 May saw members of the crew attend alongside The Prince & Princess of Wales, whilst on Tuesday 12 May others were welcomed by King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

It’s fantastic to see the dedication and commitment of our volunteers in London recognised in such a special way.

29/04/2026

‼️ We’re looking for the owner of this mini, and clearly much loved, guitar.

🎸 It was found floating in the Thames a week or so ago and we’d love to reunite it with its owner.

📣 Please spread the word and drop us a DM if it’s yours or if you have any info that can help us solve this mystery!

28/04/2026

Please join us in welcoming our newest Thames Commander to the RNLI - Phil Horsley.

Phil joined Tower back in January, and is speeding through the process to be fully passed out as Thames Commander - most recently passing his Navigator assessment with flying colours!

Phil is no stranger to the work we do on the Thames, as he served on the London Fire Brigade Fire Boats for ten years before joining us.

His secret power is making a most excellent burger feast for the duty crew. 🍔

07/04/2026

Easter weekend gave us the perfect weather for training in some of our key skills - towing and anchoring.

Thames Commanders Nick and Steve put crews through their paces ahead of upcoming assessments.

12/03/2026

Today was a day like no other at Tower!

We were honoured to welcome Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince and Princess of Wales as they visited our station to hear about the vital work of volunteers and staff saving lives on the River Thames.

The Royal couple were escorted to the station on our E-class lifeboat by Volunteer Thames Commander Storm Smith-Suckoo and Volunteer Crew Member Laura Lewis.

They were welcomed on station by our Station Manager Kevin Maynard and the RNLI’s Deputy Director of Lifesaving Operations Ryan Hall. They enjoyed a ‘brew with the crew’, and the charity’s Occupational Health and Wellbeing Manager, Michelle Johnson, where they heard first-hand about the type of rescues undertaken along the Thames, and how the RNLI provides training, equipment and support to deal with challenging situations.

Kevin said: ‘Welcoming Their Royal Highnesses to our station is an incredible privilege. They heard from our crew about the work they do, both to rescue people from the Thames and to prevent people from putting themselves at risk. One of our volunteers Laura Lewis was able to share the work she has been doing with the RNLI’s Welfare team to improve care and support for our crews. I am immensely proud of all our dedicated crew.’

While at station Their Royal Highnesses met with Frank Moxon and Julie Lithgow OBE from our local fundraising branch, the RNLI’s City of London Committee. They also met with RNLI lifeguards who will be helping to keep the public safe at The University Boat Race on the Thames next month – as we celebrate 25 years of the RNLI’s Lifeguard service. And we also introduced Their Royal Highnesses to volunteers from Bridgewatch, a partnership which provides support for vulnerable people near the water in central London.

08/03/2026

This week, two of our volunteer crew joined 80 women from lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland to take part in the RNLI’s Women in Search and Rescue Training Week at its headquarters in Poole.

The week is designed to inspire and connect women across our lifeboat teams, offering opportunities to share experiences, build skills and strengthen our operational capability — while reinforcing the RNLI’s commitment to a diverse and inclusive organisation.

Laura Lewis, who has been lifeboat crew at Tower since 2015, joined a seamanship course - spending time on a Trent class all weather lifeboat.

Jenny, who is one of our newer lifeboat crew, joining in 2025, attended a casualty care course - taught by Emma who is crew at Chiswick! She learned all the vital skills needed for saving lives on the Thames from assessing casualties to performing CPR.

Laura said, “It was really nice to meet other female crew from all over the UK and Ireland. Sharing knowledge from each other’s different skillsets and respective stations was a really fulfilling experience.”

Jenny said “What an inspiring and enriching week! Since joining the RNLI, and particularly during Women in SAR week, I’ve been amazed by the variety of backgrounds and stories from across the crew. People from completely different walks of life all coming together with one shared goal. That diversity is what makes the RNLI so special and it’s so important weeks like this happen to help strengthen it. When you’re faced with challenging situations where quick thinking matters, having different perspectives around you is incredibly powerful and I feel very lucky to have learned so much from the fellow women I met and you continue to meet within the RNLI.”

18/02/2026

Thank you to the RNLI City of London Committee for organising a fantastic night of music at the Holy Sepulchre Church in Holborn in aid of Tower Lifeboat Station.

The event featured the London Welsh Male Voice Choir under the Musical Direction of Dr Edward-Rhys Harry, with guest soloist - Welsh baritone John Ieuan Jones.

With the church acoustics enhancing the already powerful voices, the audience was treated to Welsh classics such as March of the Men of Harlech alongside songs from opera, musicals and more.

Crew from Tower were on hand to talk about our vital lifesaving work on the Thames and to receive the generous donations from many of the guests.

Thank you to everyone involved for your time and commitment to saving lives!

23/01/2026

📣 Tower’s casualty care facilities return to operational use 📣

On Friday 23 January at 4:11am, our duty crew launched to reports of a person between London Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge.

After a sustained search, the casualty was spotted in the water. They were barely afloat, and at the time appeared unable to assist themselves. Duty Thames Commander, Mick, immediately maneuvered the lifeboat and the casualty was recovered onboard by the crew, conscious, but showing signs consistent with cold-water immersion.

The decision was made to recover the casualty to Lifeboat Pier, before handing them over to the London Ambulance Service. This marks the first successful rescue using Tower’s casualty care facilities and extraction ramps since maintenance work began on the ramps in 2023 - a huge milestone for our station.

Well done to Mick, and volunteers Noah, Mark and Asher - the crew on duty that night. 👏👏👏

16/01/2026

📣 Tower RNLI requested to launch with first ever all-volunteer duty crew 📣

On Thursday 15 January 2026 we reached a new milestone at Tower when, for the first time in our 24 year history, our duty crew for the day shift was operated solely by volunteers.

The four volunteers started their 12-hour shift at 6:30am and carried out morning maintenance on the duty E-Class lifeboat Hearn Medicine Chest, before going afloat on exercise. And at 3:55pm they were requested to launch on service by HM Coastguard – all successfully resolved.

Station Manager Kevin Maynard said, ‘It was a proud moment to witness Storm Smith-Suckoo lead the shift as duty Commander - backed up by Ashley Bard as Navigator, along with crew members Jim Allen & Asher Robinson. All four are volunteers here at Tower, the first time we have had an all-volunteer crew cover a shift in Central London.’

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Tower Lifeboat Station, along with Chiswick & Gravesend, operates on the River Thames providing a 24/7 search and rescue service, however unlike most RNLI stations, these stations are fully staffed night and day with up to four crew on site, ready to launch when tasked by HM Coastguard.

Each station is led by a dedicated Station Manager and supported by full-time Thames Commanders, a highly skilled professional team - vital for RNLI operations on the River Thames. These roles are fundamental to the success and safety of the service. From ensuring stations are maintained to the highest standards, to delivering world-class training for more than 200 volunteers across the Thames, they set the benchmark for operational excellence. They carry the ultimate responsibility for crew welfare, operational decision-making, and our lifesaving response on the UK’s busiest and most complex waterways.

07/01/2026

Come and join us and the London Welsh Male Voice Choir on 17 February!!

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/rnli-london-welsh-male-voice-choir-2026-tickets-1974966717617?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios

Address

Tower RNLI Lifeboat Station
London
WC2R2PP

Telephone

+442072403978

Website

https://www.towerrnli.com/

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