RNLI volunteer crew member Grant Walkington has been attending Bridlington Lifeboat Station since he was old enough to be pushed there in a pram
The family's connection to the station can be traced right back to The Great Gale of 1871 and his father, Fred Walkington MBE served the station for over 40 years, 25 of which as Coxswain for the all-weather lifeboat (ALB).
It was on Grant's 17th birthday that he joined Bridlington Lifeboat crew and since then has crewed both the inshore lifeboat (ILB) as Helm and he passed out as Deputy Coxswain for the all-weather lifeboat in 2018 following intensive training at the RNLI College in Poole.
This month marks his 30th year of serving the community of Bridlington and Grant feels that now is the right time to stand down. Grant has countless stories from lifeboat launches in both lifeboats; from rescuing two teenagers stuck in backwash near North Pier, to being the ALB coxswain in the search for the missing US Air Force pilot in June 2020.
Grant explained how a supportive employer and family has made his three decades of volunteering possible,
" I've been really fortunate to have had the full support and encouragement of my employer, Lloyd Dowson Accountants and this has enabled me to attend callouts during my working day. The support from my family has been invaluable too as they knew that their plans could change as soon as that pager went off."
Whilst Grant is stepping down from volunteering at Bridlington RNLI he wishes the station and its crew the best for the future and is grateful for the friends he's made and the experiences he's shared with the community of Bridlington.
Unfortunately due to the current COVID-19 restrictions the crew at Bridlington were unable to give Grant the send-off he deserves, but Bridlington Lifeboat Station Chairman, Dave Garnett has offered his thanks on behalf of the RNLI and the station.
"Grant has been a wonderfully dedicated volunteer at Bridlington and we're sad to see him step down. I'm sure I speak for a huge amount of people in expressing my gratitude for the sacrifices that both Grant and his family have made in the name of saving lives at sea."
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