Whitby lifeboat Lois Ivan is officially named in poignant ceremony

The town’s lifeboat crew along with their families, and invited guests gathered at the Bandstand in Whitby, on a wild and windy day on June 1.

There were several speeches and prayers from the station chaplain, Rev Michael Gobbett.

It was a particularly poignant ceremony as the lifeboat carries the names of 10,000 loved ones on the decals, and Laura Summerbell, Legacy engagement manager for the RNLI, had the honour of officially handing the lifeboat over to the Whitby crew, on behalf of all the families that donated to the charity, to name a loved one on board.

Lois Ivan was officially named by Neil Williamson, who is launch authority at Whitby, a former crew member and curator of the RNLI Lifeboat museum on Pier Road.

The lifeboat is named after George Ivan Stone, and his partner Lois, who left a legacy in their will which funded the lifeboat.

Station Chairman Mike Major said: "Thank you to everyone who came along to celebrate with us.

"The wonderful singing from Marske Fisherman's Choir made the day really special and we'd like to thank everyone else involved in the ceremony too.“This is just the start of Lois Ivan’s time in Whitby, and we feel reassured when the pager sounds, that the crew have the best equipment possible, to keep them safe, whatever scenario they should face.”

Five RNLI volunteers were aboard the Shannon Class lifeboat during the ceremony, and popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate as the ceremony drew to a close.

They also did a short demonstration showing the manoeuvring capability of the Shannon.