Storm Force, 30 Years On…

There’ll be things in your life that make you feel good; small things that, for no apparent reason, just make you feel warm inside.

I expect many of those feel-good factors can be attributed to early childhood.

The RNLI Lifeboats logo is one of those things for me, not least when it’s on an envelope, winging its way to my door as it did last week…

In the case of the Lifeboats logo, I can certainly pinpoint the warmth to one thing in particular — receiving my copy of the Storm Force magazine as a young boy.

I was one of the early members of the RNLI club for children, who’ve recently enjoyed their 30th anniversary.

With that in mind, I’m sure you can begin to imagine how pleased I was to hear from Jon Jones, the editor of Storm Force, a few months ago to ask if I’d be happy to be interviewed for an article in the magazine some 30 years on.

Would I be happy? Yes, Jon!

So, interview we did and last week, I knew what would be inside the envelope carrying that logo I do so love — my copies of the magazine that’s now landing on the doormats of many a happy young RNLI fan across the country.

FULL CIRCLE…

In making this article, a little slice of my relationship with the RNLI had gone full circle.

In all honesty, it meant to so much to me that I was just as excited to read this piece as I was to read Riders on the Storm in The Independent Magazine last month!

If you know a young Lifeboat enthusiast who might like to join Storm Force, you can find more information here:

Join Storm Force!

BYE BYE, ROSIE…

Speaking of the circle of life, I’d like to dedicate this post to Rosie, our 13 year old lurcher who passed away on Tuesday.

As I mentioned at the time on my Instagram feed:

“You were a crabby old thing but you will always be the first dog with whom I truly bonded, the one that showed me the joy of owning a dog. You were so amenable, and such a good girl. I will miss you very much…”