A 106-year-old former swimming champion had her wishes come true with a recent visit to the RNLI College in Poole.
Yvonne Glover frequently visited the college for special occasions with her family and friends throughout her remarkable life.
She has lived along the Bournemouth and Poole coastline for most of her years.
Now living in the Bourne View Care Home in Poole, Yvonne said she would love to see the harbour and the college once again.
Born in Boscombe in 1916, she used to swim between the ferry and the quay in Poole Harbour as a girl before competing for both Bournemouth and Poole swimming clubs.
It was here that Yvonne became a backstroke champion in 1932, narrowly missing out on a place to compete at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
She began a career as a hydrographer and worked for three different Poole harbourmasters measuring water depths and checking for hazards.
Yvonne had a special visit to the college arranged by the care home which featured a two-hour tour from its longest-serving volunteer, Tony Scutt.
She had the chance to spend some time in the college’s simulator, which trains volunteers to cope with rescue missions in some of the toughest conditions.
“For me, the most exciting part of the morning was the simulator,” she said.
“It was thrilling. We had a wonderful trip. I’m amazed how the RNLI has grown over the years.”
Yvonne got to see the training pool and learn about how the RNLI respond to emergencies in different conditions, including battling through rough seas to a burning ship.
This included watching footage of a lifeboat launch in East Anglia into rough seas.
She also learnt how training crews cope with capsized lifeboats and how to descend into seas from height.
Yvonne recalled when the RNLI was formed of local fishermen and named some of the families she knew used to man the lifeboats.
She then got to fulfil her wish for a coffee at the restaurant overlooking the harbour.
Team member at Bourne View Care Home, Julie Walthen, said: “Yvonne had a beautiful morning courtesy of the RNLI.
“It was a real pleasure and privilege to help make her wish come true. She is a lovely lady with an amazing sense of adventure who still enjoys being out in the fresh air and loves water.”
For more information, visit the RNLI College website.
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