THE RNLI has bought a new lifeboat after a woman left half her estate to the charity when she died.

Doreen Norgrove was a long-time supporter of the RNLI along with her husband Roy before her death in 2019. 

Swanage RNLI has used the money she donated to replace its current inshore lifeboat, Phyl & Jack, with a new one fittingly called Roy Norgrove. 

The couple, from Winchester, were well known around the Poole site because many years ago Roy sold items donated to the RNLI such as jewellery and stamps. 

He regularly visited the charity and also ran an RNLI jewellery appeal.

The couple’s memory will now live on through the inshore lifeboat that has been funded. 

Its arrival in Swanage marks the end of an era of inshore lifeboats funded by the late Phyl and Jack Cleare, who started supporting of the RNLI in April 1993. 

In the summer of 1995, Swanage received its first station inshore lifeboat D475, which was succeeded by Jack Cleare in August 2003 and Phyl & Jack in July 2012. 

Phyl and her late husband Jack began supporting the RNLI in the 1980s and became close friends with a number of the crew at Swanage and Weymouth, both stations which they funded inshore lifeboats. 

Jack died in 2000 but Phyl continued her support of the RNLI, winning the prestigious Individual Support of the Year award at the RNLI’s 2011 Annual Presentation of Awards.  

Phyl died in March 2012 but had made provision for the funding of Swanage’s outgoing inshore lifeboat. 

Senior helm Dazzy Tomes said: “It’s great to have a new ILB. Virtually nothing has changed but there are some small improvements that will make the boat even better.  

“We’re going to have an open day at the station in the new year to let people come and have a closer look at our new boat.”