RNLI volunteer swaps lifesaving on the Thames for Ireland’s wild Atlantic 

“We were living in Dublin and we wanted to move down to Cork where Emma is from and Baltimore is such a lovely location that it wasn’t a hard decision really,” said James.

Originally from Poole in Dorset, England James has had a lifelong affinity with the sea having been involved in sailing from a young age. Poole is also home to the headquarters of the RNLI so it seems almost inevitable that James would end up getting involved with the lifesaving charity.

“My first involvement with the RNLI was actually when they rescued me,” says James. “I was 16 and was sailing competitively at the time. We were out training in the Solent and got into difficulty. We were very lucky, we were out there for some time so that really made me appreciate the work that the RNLI do.” 

The 32-year-old began working for the organisation in fundraising but he also wanted to use his experience and help out as a volunteer.

“As the organisation is based in Poole the lifeboat there is pretty well crewed as you can imagine,” says James. “With the job I was spending a good bit of time in London, so I decided to volunteer to join one of the crews based there and I was accepted.” 

James joined the volunteer crew based at Chiswick, a 24-hour manned station that deals with more than 200 call outs every year.

James met Emma at a sailing event in the USA and the couple decided to move to Ireland not long afterwards.

“I managed to get a job with Concern in Dublin and so we moved over in 2019 but then everything changed with the pandemic,” he said.

Luckily for James, his employers were open to the idea of him relocating to the southwest coast and the couple made the move earlier this year.

“It’s a really tight-knit community and it’s been very welcoming and of course there is the sea too. It’s great to be able to walk out your door down to the shore,” said James.

“At first I wasn’t sure if I should volunteer here or not but I’m really glad I did. They are a really welcoming group of people and the expertise and training they’ve given me has been superb. Thankfully we haven’t had to go out in the middle of an Atlantic storm since I’ve been here but everyone is prepared for any situation."

Baltimore RNLI is one of 46 lifeboat stations in Ireland. To make a donation to the RNLI’s Christmas Appeal visit: RNLI.org/Xmas