'I'm still part of RNLI at seven months pregnant'

For Emily Craven volunteering with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a family affair.

Emily, 27, has been a crew member at the charity's New Brighton lifeboat station for seven years after being persuaded to volunteer by her fiance, Tom.

Their two-year-old son, Harry, also spends plenty of time at the lifeboat station with his parents, having visited first when he was under three-weeks-old.

But Emily is expecting her second baby, and while she is not currently able to go out on rough seas she has continued to volunteer and is training as a press officer.

Speaking about her decision to volunteer in 2019, a year-and-a-half after Tom joined, she said: "[Tom] told me I'd love it and I've never looked back since.

"In fact, I think I love it more than him."

The RNLI is so intertwined in the family's life they were engaged on a lifeboat and announced their first pregnancy with an RNLI themed social media post.

Emily said Harry often waves her off on her launches, visits the crew after they come in from exercises, and attends station barbeques.

But during her time volunteering, Emily has been involved in many serious rescues.

In 2020 Emily and the rest of the crew navigated rough seas to save a man and his dog from the water.

They were awarded a Certificate of Commendation three years later.

Emily said: "Tom is responding to the pager for both of us.

"I'm currently training to become a Lifeboat Press Officer, but I will go back to crew duties as soon as I can."

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