19/08/2026
🛟MEET THE CREW:
ANDY — MR BENN OF THE RNLI
Andy has been part of the Bude Lifeboat Station for 24 years and is one of our amazing volunteer Helms.
He joined because he wanted to give something back to the community he grew up in and you could say the RNLI is very much in his family.
His dad was a Lifeboat crew member, Coastguard and eventually Bude Lifeboat Operations Manager, giving more than 50 years of service. Andy has now added his own 24 years to the family tally.
And if that wasn’t enough uniforms, Andy has also recently retired after 30 years as a Police Officer.
And with a career spanning 24 years on the lifeboat and 30 years in the Police, Andy has certainly collected his fair share of uniforms.
Which is why his family and friends have long joked that he’s a bit like Mr Benn — the much-loved 1970s children’s TV character who would walk into an outfitters, put on a different uniform and head off on a new adventure.
Andy admits the comparison probably says more about his collection of uniforms than anything else! 😂
Although Andy’s adventures haven’t always gone entirely to plan…
🚨 Falling down the stairs while answering a lifeboat pager and tearing his Achilles tendon. 🤕🩼
🚤 Breaking his hand in two places during a training exercise after hitting a wave and nearly going out of the boat.
Andy’s verdict on the latter?
“Probably would have been better if I had!” 😂
(see the photo)
But beneath the humour is a deep respect for the sea.
“In everything I’ve faced whilst policing, I’ve never feared anything as much as the sea. It can be an extremely hostile and unforgiving environment.”
His advice to new crew members is perhaps a little more practical:
“If there’s any opportunity to have a p*e, take it. It’s very hard to p*e in a dry suit at sea!” 😂
After 24 years, Andy says what makes it all worthwhile is the incredible relationship between Bude Lifeboats and the community it serves.
The RNLI is a unique emergency service, largely volunteer-run and funded by the generosity of the public — and Bude’s connection with its lifeboat stretches back more than a century.
And sometimes, it’s the simplest things that mean the most.
“Thank you for everything you and your family do.”
Those words, from people in the community, make all those hours, training sessions, callouts — and perhaps even the occasional broken bone — worthwhile. 💪
