Richard Offord received his 20-Year Long Service Award in August. He chaired the fundraising behind the new inshore boathouse and the Atlantic 85 refit.
Southend RNLI has presented its 20-Year Long Service Award to Richard Offord, who spent 22 years running the fundraising and governance that paid for two of the station’s boathouse projects (RNLI).
He is now the station’s vice-president, a role he has held since 2011.
Most awards of this kind go to crew. This one went to the side of a lifeboat station the public rarely sees: the committee work that keeps a station funded, governed and buildable.
What he actually did
Richard Offord joined Southend RNLI in 1997, on the committee that ran the annual dinner for the crews of the Southend lifeboats. He chaired that committee from 1998 to 2008. He then held, in turn:
- fundraising treasurer
- fundraising chair
- chair of the lifeboat management group
- chair for special projects
It was the last of those that left the buildings. As chair for special projects he oversaw the new inshore boathouse from 2005 to 2013. He then oversaw the modification of the pierhead boathouse from 2013 to 2014, so it could take the station’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat.
Southend Lifeboat Station has two boathouses, one at each end of a pier 1.25 miles long. One holds a B class and a D class inshore lifeboat; the other holds a D class and a hovercraft (RNLI). That split site is the reason a building project at Southend is not a straightforward job.
Tony Clarke, Southend RNLI’s volunteer fundraising chair, said: “This is some voluntary achievement and one all of us at the lifeboat station deeply appreciate.”
Richard Offord said: “The charity has been a significant part of my life and my family’s lives. What drove our fundraising was knowing every penny raised would go directly towards saving lives at sea.”
He has previously received the RNLI’s Bronze and Gold Badges and its Commendation for Excellence in Volunteering. The presentation was attended by Southend lifeboat operations manager Barrie Daykin, Tony Clarke, and John Foster and Giles Offord.
How busy the station has been
The RNLI describes Southend as one of the busiest stations in the country. Its own published launch record backs that up for August. The ten most recent launches listed on the station page all fell inside three weeks, between 9 and 29 August 2026, and used all three types of boat the station runs:
| Date | Boat |
|---|---|
| 29 August | B class, B-885 |
| 28 August | D class, D-904 |
| 26 August | Hovercraft, H-004 |
| 26 August | B class, B-885 |
| 25 August | D class, D-904 |
| 23 August | D class, D-818 |
| 17 August | B class, B-926 |
| 15 August | D class, D-818 |
| 13 August | B class, B-926 |
| 9 August | B class, B-885 |
Two of those launches were on the same afternoon of 26 August, one by hovercraft and one by the B class, five minutes apart.
What it means for you
- The station is open to visitors. There is a viewing gallery at the boathouse at the end of Southend Pier. Getting there and back is a walk or a pier train ride; we cover the pier in our guide to things to do in Southend, and seafront parking in our parking guide.
- In an emergency, dial 999 and ask for the coastguard. Do not contact the station directly. The RNLI is explicit that doing so can delay the launch.
- Volunteering is not only crew. The award recognises fundraising, governance and project work done from dry land over 22 years. Southend RNLI takes volunteers in those roles as well as on the boats.
- The station runs on donations. The RNLI is independent of the coastguard and of government, and depends on voluntary donations and legacies.
Sources
- RNLI: Southend RNLI honours long-serving volunteer for over two decades of service, published 31 August 2026
- RNLI: Southend-on-Sea Lifeboat Station, for the boathouses, the fleet and the recent launch record
Have your say