With two months to go until the start of a bumper lifeboat week, Lyme Regis RNLI volunteers have produced a souvenir programme to commemorate 200 years of lifesaving in the town.
Lyme Regis lifeboat week 2026 runs from Saturday 15 to Sunday 23 August. As always, the week is filled with family favourites such as the bathtub race, swimming challenge, fun run, duck race and crab fishing. There is also an air display by two vintage Supermarine Spitfires and music most evenings.
The RAF Red Arrows will also be displaying this year after an absence of nine years. This has been made possible by the generous support of Lyme Regis Town Council. The Red Arrows display is scheduled to take place on Sunday 16 August at 11:30am (please note this is a change of date from that shown on page 5 of the programme).
Our lifeboat week souvenir programme is much more than a schedule of the week’s events. It also includes articles covering the 200-year history of life saving in Lyme Regis and features profiles of some of the characters who have volunteered for the RNLI over two centuries.
Lifeboat Week organiser Mark Ellis, a volunteer lifeboat helm at Lyme Regis said: “On behalf of all the RNLI volunteers in Lyme Regis I extend a very warm welcome to residents and visitors in what is a very special year for our lifesaving charity. We hope you will support us by buying this souvenir programme and I hope you find the features and photos about us and our 200-year history both entertaining and fascinating.’
The souvenir programme is on sale, price £3, from the Lyme Regis and Beer RNLI shops. It is also available from the The Slipway, Colyton Post Office, Uplyme Garage, Beer Head Caravan Park Nisa and Charmouth campsites. More venues will be added over the next few weeks.