Twinning Strengthens Lifeboat Links Between Penlee and France

Historic ties between Penlee lifeboat station and the Concarneau lifeboat in France were reinforced during a recent visit to Penzance and Newlyn by the mayor of Concarneau, Marc Bigot. The visit, organised by the Penzance Concarneau Twinning Association and supported by Penzance Council, celebrated the longstanding connection between the two coastal communities.

A Poignant Tribute at Penlee Lifeboat Station

Mayor Marc Bigot, accompanied by his wife Christine and deputy mayor Annick Martin, visited the old Penlee lifeboat station. This station was closed following the tragic loss of the Solomon Browne lifeboat and its entire crew of eight in 1981. The tour, led by local historian Mike Sagar-Fenton, paid tribute to the crew’s bravery and sacrifice.

The Penzance Concarneau Twinning Association, established in the aftermath of the 1981 disaster, has since been a pillar in maintaining strong cultural and community links. This relationship encompasses shared Breton and Cornish traditions in art, music, and language, as well as regular school exchanges between the two towns.

Lifeboat Crews Unite Across the Channel

Patch Harvey, Coxswain of the Penlee lifeboat, reflected on the friendship he has built with the Concarneau lifeboat crew. “A twinning group came over, probably about eight years ago, and invited me to go to Concarneau and meet the crew at Trévignon. That’s how it started, and we have become very good friends,” said Patch. “It’s quite important, because we all share the same attitude to saving lives at sea.”

The mayor’s visit included a tour of the current Penlee lifeboat station, where Patch presented Marc Bigot with a painting by local artist Trevor Thorne, who is also the station’s Deputy Launch Authority.

A Maritime Connection

Marc Bigot expressed his admiration for the dedication shown by the RNLI and the broader community support it receives in the UK. “The RNLI and the SNSM (Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer) were both founded at around the same time, and there are a lot of similarities in how they are organised. But when I see the resources you have here, thanks to the generosity of the public, I realise that we don’t have the same maritime spirit in France,” he said.

“In Britain, you are never very far from the sea, and everywhere one sees those little model lifeboats where people put their pennies and their pounds. And that’s how it works. But in France, we have nothing like the same maritime spirit,” he added, reflecting on the differences between the two nations’ approaches to maritime safety.

Marc expressed enthusiasm for closer collaborations between lifeboat crews, noting that Concarneau’s new station manager is eager to build stronger ties with Newlyn.

A Partnership for the Future

The visit also included Penzance town mayor and President of the Twinning Association, Stephen Reynolds, who emphasised the significance of these connections. “It was a great honour to be invited to Concarneau in August to join the commemorations for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the town, and a great pleasure to reciprocate by inviting Marc, Annick and Christine to visit Penzance and Newlyn,” he said.

“Our visit to Newlyn was a timely reminder of how large the sea still figures in the lives of both our communities, and I’m very much looking forward to building on this visit to further strengthen the close ties between us,” Stephen added.

Stephen also thanked the Newlyn Harbour Commissioners for hosting a working lunch to discuss issues of mutual interest, including fishing and maritime heritage.

The visit has served as a powerful reminder of the shared values and connections between these two coastal communities, with hopes for ongoing exchanges and stronger maritime collaboration in the future.