Angle RNLI’s 150th anniversary celebrations won a royal seal of approval on Thursday (October 5), when the Duke of Gloucester visited the lifeboat station.

His Royal Highness was fulfilling three engagements in the village that day and his first port of call was Angle RNLI.

The Duke, who was accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed, Sara Edwards, was welcomed by the station’s Lifeboat Operations Manager Julian Hammond; RNLI Council Member Rear Admiral Mark Kerr; RNLI Regional Safety Manager Adam Forrest and Coxswain Lewis Creese.

In the boathouse he met Navigator and Deputy Second Mechanic Paul Smart; Deputy Launch Authorities, the Rev. Michael Brotherton, Mark Newton and Davy Barrett; station Treasurer Linda Foulstone and Community Safety Officer Bevis Musk.

The Duke was shown the relief all weather Tamar class lifeboat, the Frank and Ann Wilkinson, which is on station at Angle while its Tamar class all weather lifeboat Mark Mason is undergoing maintenance at RNLI headquarters at Poole.

He then proceeded to the crewroom, where he was introduced to Ted Goddard, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer; Pembroke Ladies Lifeboat Guild members Daphne Bush (chairman and press officer) and Sandra Thompson (minute secretary), and Head Launcher David Digby Jones.

In the crewroom to welcome the Duke were crew members Sarah Lunn, Carl Morgan, Jordan Tuckwell, Martyn Brock, Ian Foulstone, Penny Harris, Alan Hitchcock, Wendy Moore and Bruce Moore.

Refreshments were served by Julie James and Emma Williams.

Before leaving, the Duke cut a special Angle RNLI 150th anniversary cake, made by Mary Young, and he also signed the station’s visitors’ book.

Moored off the lifeboat station for the Duke’s visit was Angle RNLI’s former Watson class lifeboat, Richard Vernon and Mary Garforth of Leeds. She served at Angle from 1957 to 1987 and is now owned by the station’s Community Safety Officer Bevis Musk.