Wicker sculpture marks 140 years since RNLI disaster

2 hours ago

Sumaiya Motara,in Lythamand

Angela Ferguson,North West

News image — The wicker figure has been unveiled to commemorate 140 years since 27 RNLI crew members lost their lives in the 1886 disaster

BBC/Sumaiya Motara A wicker figure depicting a bearded RNLI crewman from 1886 - including a helmet and lifejacket - is sitting on a bench outside a shop in a town centre. The figure has its hands resting on its legs and is looking to its left. — The wicker figure has been unveiled to commemorate 140 years since 27 RNLI crew members lost their lives in the 1886 disaster

A wicker sculpture marking 140 years since the worst disaster in the RNLI's history has been unveiled.

The artwork in Lytham, Lancashire, commemorates the Southport and St Anne's lifeboat disaster of 1886, when 27 lifeboat crewmen lost their lives.

They had embarked on a rescue mission to save the crew of the Mexico, a German sailing ship which had run aground on a sandbank on the Ribble Estuary.

Lytham-based artist Helena Mellenchip, who created the artwork on behalf of Lytham in Bloom, said she hoped it would "spark people's enthusiasm to look into the disaster and just to appreciate the lifeboat men and women now".

BBC/Sumaiya Motara Two RNLI crew members in full kit are sitting on the bench next to the willow model of an RNLI crewman. There are about five members of the public nearby, along with about seven people in turquoise polo shirts. A lifeboat can be seen in front of the bench. — RNLI crew members were invited to the launch of the artwork in Lytham

"We all don't want to call on them, but, if we did, they would be there, so that's what it's really all about," she said.

The RNLI said the rescue "remains the worst loss of crew in a single incident in RNLI history".

Adrienne Stocks, from Lytham in Bloom, said: "It's a testament to the bravery of the men that went out in the 1880s, and also a testament to the current RNLI and they put their lives at risk all the time to save people so we're quite proud of him."

RNLI crew members attended the launch of the artwork, which is located on a bench in Lytham town centre.

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