Lifesavers

Lifeboat crews at Spurn Point have been protecting sailors in the North Sea and the Humber Estuary over the station's long history. A total of 73 launches and 244 lives saved during the Second World War alone is testimony to their invaluable work.

It is entirely right that such bravery, which has earned a collection of gold, silver and bronze medals, is publicly recognised. For these men and women, putting their lives at risk in order to help others, sometimes in the most appalling weather conditions, has become almost routine. The courage shown by today's crew, and their predecessors, has been immense.

Their families, too, deserve not to be forgotten. They have provided vital support to the members of Britain's only full-time lifeboat station over the last 200 years. It must be hoped that the crews, and their loved ones, enjoy another two centuries at Spurn Point.