RNLI's 18,000-mile scroll relay ends on island

Volunteers Emily Heaton and Jason Fleming accompanied the scroll to the Tower of Refuge

The RNLI has finished its 200th anniversary “scroll relay” on the Isle of Man, which is considered the "birthplace" of the organisation.

Over the past 236 days, the 23ft (7m) long scroll has travelled more than 18,000 miles (28,968 feet) while visiting 292 sites linked to the organisation across the UK.

The bamboo document has gathered over 900 signatures from representatives at lifeboat stations, lifeguard units, fundraising branches and shops.

Peel RNLI lifeboat operations manager Allen Corlett said the scroll “highlighted the vast network of RNLI lifesaving communities, each playing their part in saving lives at sea”.

The Connecting our Communities scroll relay began at Westminster Abbey in March, with signatures from the charity’s President, the Duke of Kent, and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The scroll has been inscribed with the RNLI’s One Crew pledge, and has a wooden handle carved from a 19th Century flagpole from Ramsey Lifeboat Station in the north of the island, to commemorate the charity's heritage.

The scroll, which was transported in an electric van, will now go on display at the RNLI College in Poole, Dorset, where lifeboat crews and lifeguards are trained.

The scroll was carried in a fiberglass case of the same material as lifeboat hulls

Mr Corlett said the island was "honoured" to host the final leg of the relay journey, the end of which was marked with a gala dinner at the Villa Marina in Douglas.

He said: "Throughout the year we’ve come together as one crew to commemorate our past, celebrate where we are today and inspire the next generation of lifesavers… and the year is not up yet."

RNLI chief executive Peter Sparkes signed the penultimate signature on the scroll at Douglas City Hall on Friday, with the final signature planned to be that of King Charles III.