A generous supporter of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in Gravesend was honoured in special ceremony held in the town on Saturday (6th June).

Olive Laura Deare was foremost in everyone’s thoughts as guests gathered for the official naming ceremony of a lifeboat which was paid for by her legacy. The Atlantic 85 class lifeboat, named Olive Laura Deare II, is the second lifeboat at Gravesend RNLI lifeboat station which Mrs Deare has funded via a generous legacy, following her funding for its predecessor, the E-class lifeboat, Olive Laura Deare.

Mrs Mary Straight and Mrs Elizabeth Baker - Mrs Deare’s sister-in-law and cousin, respectively – officially represented her, joining lifeboat station manager Ian Dunkley and a host of invited guests. The first half of the ceremony was held undercover on the pier leading to the lifeboat station. In the latter half, Mrs Straight and Ian Dunkley moved to the floating barge on the Thames which carries the Olive Laura Deare II, to name the lifeboat and deliver the traditional champagne blessing.

Mrs Straight said: ‘Olive was my sister in law and I knew her since 1962. She was always very friendly and she supported the RNLI because her grandparents were connected with the river and she just always lived in Gravesend by the Thames and thought it was a great idea.

‘I felt very honoured to be asked to name the lifeboat today, especially as I am her only relative left. I think she would have been very proud to have thought Gravesend would have an RNLI lifeboat station because when she made her will she had no idea there would ever be one in the town, so it was a wonderful idea to use the money for that purpose.’

And Ian Dunkley, station manager at Gravesend RNLI lifeboat station, said: ‘It doesn’t seem like seven years since we introduced RNLI lifeboats on the Thames. Nor indeed does it feel like six years since we gathered for the naming of the E class lifeboat, Olive Laura Deare. Thames lifeboats overall have launched more than 5,000 times in seven years, and Olive Laura Deare has done 15 per cent of those, saving 35 lives and helping many others. Her replacement which we are naming today has in her first six months undertaken almost 50 services and saved five lives.’

The original Olive Laura Deare was one of the RNLI’s fleet of six E-class lifeboats which are approaching the end of their life expectancy due to wear and tear. In addition, the E-class fleet was originally designed to suit typical river conditions, but the nature of Gravesend RNLI means rescue calls can include river and coastal conditions. The Atlantic 85 lifeboat was originally designed as an inshore lifeboat for operations at coastal lifeboat stations and, while Gravesend lies within the River Thames estuary, the nature of many of their rescues means they now range from the conditions you would expect with a tidal river and those associated with more open seas.

To enable the new boat to be operational, a new floating fuel barge, also part funded by Mrs Deare’s legacy, was installed on the River Thames. The Port of London Authority provided the mooring and the facility, as well as staff from their depot to enable the barge to be filled from a road tanker four times a year. This fuel supply was necessary due to the newer boat’s reliance on petrol outboard motors, unlike the E-class lifeboat’s use of diesel onboard motors.

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RNLI media contacts For more information please contact Tim Ash, Divisional Media Relations Manager (South East and London) on 01825 747727 or 07785 296252, email tash@rnli.org.uk or contact RNLI Public Relations on 01202 336789