Gravesend RNLI

09/10/2026

Thank you so much for your support Mayor of Medway 💙

30/09/2026

Yesterday’s life-saved rescue right here in Gravesend by our RNLI crew was a powerful reminder of how important every second and every piece of advice is when it comes to saving lives on the water.

With that in mind, we’re thrilled to see the vital new water safety signage now installed along Gravesend Promenade - which now features more information than ever before (previous photo attached).

A huge thank you to Gravesham Borough Council’s Parks and Open Spaces team for championing this project and putting community safety first.

Thanks to their dedication and our fantastic partnership with both the Council and the Port of London Authority, these vibrant new signs bring clear, multilingual safety advice, including our core RNLI tips - right to where people need it most.

We’re so proud to stand alongside our local partners to protect everyone enjoying our waterfront. Together, we’re making Gravesend safer every single day!

27/09/2026

On 18th September, volunteer crew member Ashley, successfully passed out as a Thames Commander, the highest rank available on the River Thames - assessed by Coastal Lifeboat Trainer Liam Sidders.

It’s a fantastic achievement, representing years of training, learning and over 1800 hours volunteered spent developing the skills needed to command a lifeboat on one of the busiest waterways in the country.

The Thames is a very different environment within the RNLI.

The three full-time stations on the river collectively average over 1,000 requested taskings each year.

Ashley’s assessment covered theory, mechanical knowledge and the practical command of the lifeboat.

And whilst Ashley has reached a significant milestone in his RNLI journey, another of our volunteers is just beginning his.

On 16th September, Josh successfully passed out as a Tier 1 crew member, taking his first major successful step into his OCF journey at Gravesend.

Tier 1 is the beginning of competent crew, but it marks an important first milestone of seamanship and the start of a long and rewarding future with the RNLI.

Congratulations Ash and Josh. 👏

18/09/2026

It was an early exercise launch for our Gravesend RNLI volunteers this morning, they also happened to spot a pod of pilot whales in Gravesend Reach.

12/09/2026

There’s certainly been a lot happening around the 🚤 recently, but sometimes it’s nice to pause, step back and focus on the ☀️.

These beautiful sunset scenes around our station captured by volunteers are a reminder of the people, places and moments that make the RNLI such a special place.

Thank you to all our dedicated volunteers on the river Thames enabling us to save lives.

09/09/2026

The RNLI is a charity that exists to save lives at sea. But recent events have generated deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding about our purpose and our lifesaving work in the Channel.

As a result, some of our volunteers and staff have been the subject of online and, in some cases, physical abuse. This is unacceptable.

The RNLI’s people represent the very best of society. For over two hundred years they have dedicated themselves to rescuing people they’ve never met before, without judgment, fear or favour.

We are tasked by HM Coastguard to help those in distress, and we'll do so whenever, wherever and whoever they are.

We launched 9,058 times in 2025. Only 109 of those launches were to those in distress in the Channel – 1.2% of our total rescue work. Anyone rescued from a small boat by the RNLI is then taken into the care of the relevant UK authorities.

To those who stand with the RNLI, thank you. For more than two hundred years, we've saved lives at sea around the UK and Ireland, and that commitment remains unchanged.

02/09/2026

It’s official, Gravesend RNLI is returning to the fastest lifeboat in the RNLI: the E-Class! 🚨🚤

E-11’s build is already underway, and we’re incredibly proud to share that E-12 will be joining the Thames as the first-ever E-Class Launch A Memory.

This is a unique opportunity to have your name, or the name of a loved one, become part of RNLI history on the River Thames and be carried aboard this incredible lifeboat.

Click the link below to find out more and discover how you could get your name, or a loved one’s name on the boat. 👇🏻

Add the name of someone you love to the RNLI’s first river-based Launch a Memory lifeboat. They’ll save lives with our busiest crews on London’s River Thames.

31/08/2026

Teamwork, patience and a ‘remarkably capable horse’: Gravesend RNLI lifeboat crew to the rescue as horse stranded by rapidly rising tide. Read more below

30/08/2026

Today our volunteer lifeboat crew carried out a casualty care exercise, focusing on safely securing and transferring a casualty onto a PS1 stretcher within a restricted space ahead of extraction.

The exercise provided valuable hands-on training in communication, teamwork and casualty handling in a challenging environment ready for when it matters most.

26/08/2026

On July 19 at 1:20pm, Gravesend RNLI were tasked by London Coastguard to reports of a horse and rider in difficulty on the River Thames foreshore at Tilbury Fort.

The lifeboat made best speed to the scene, arriving around 10 minutes later after being on exercise further up river. The crew established that neither the horse nor the person with it was stuck in the mud, but both were at serious risk of being cut off by the incoming tide, with around 1.5 hours before the area was expected to flood.

RNLI Duty Commander Stewart Challis said, 'As the situation developed, the horse entered the water and swam against the tide. The lifeboat was used to carefully guide it back towards the shore, where it eventually made its way to the relative safety of Bill Melroy Creek.'

Working alongside the horse’s owners, London Fire Brigade and specialist animal rescue teams, the crew helped attach a proper harness and the horse was persuaded up the steps and over the sea wall to safety.

Once the horse, its owners and everyone involved were safely clear of the foreshore, Gravesend RNLI’s ashore volunteer was recovered and returned to station.

Stewart added, 'The crew worked closely with the other emergency services and the horse’s owners to ensure everyone, including the horse, was brought to safety.’

The lifeboat was made ready for service by 3:20pm.