Exmouth 'Banksy' designs RNLI welly tribute

A total of 15 pairs of RNLI wellington boots have been painted around Exmouth

Several pairs of wellington boots have been painted onto walls around Exmouth to pay tribute to the RNLI.

A 2.4-mile (3.9km) trail featuring 15 sets of yellow wellies designed by artist Gary 'Garf' Cook, who is known locally as 'Exmouth's Banksy', has been set up in the seaside town to mark the charity's 200th anniversary.

Each of the 15 coxswains from Exmouth RNLI's history are represented by one of the pairs of wellies.

The trail starts at the town's tourist information centre on The Strand and finishes at the lifeboat station on the seafront.

QR codes on the wellies give more information about the coxswains and a quiz for walkers to complete.

Families of previous coxswains joined current crew members to cut the ribbon for the trail.

Gary 'Garf' Cook said the welly murals were the second stage of a project he had worked on with Exmouth's RNLI

The artist has previously designed a mural to mark the RNLI anniversary on the Haldon House Surgery on Imperial Road.

Mr Cook said the wellies are the second part of a project for the anniversary, and the paintings have already had a lot of interest.

"I started spraying them around the town without any explanation, so people have been starting to post and wonder what's going on," he said.

'Proud RNLI history'

Exmouth RNLI volunteer fundraising chair Des White said the team has by "overwhelmed" with the support it has received during the 200th anniversary celebrations.

"The yellow welly trail is a wonderful way for residents and visitors to find out more about the contribution of the volunteer coxswains and their colleagues, who put their own lives at risk, to rescue so many people in often very challenging conditions," he said.

Exmouth mayor Olly Davey said the town was proud of its lifeboat crews, past and present.

Mr Davey said: "Exmouth has a proud history of supporting RNLI over the decades, as its volunteers have responded to damaged vessels and individuals at risk of drowning as they encounter difficulties at sea."