As you walk through Howard Davis Park, you will see a beautiful flower bed with the RNLI flag and words “Thanks for saving lives”, which has been created to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the RNLI.

To some, this is an artistic display of plants, but to Head Gardener John Richards it is a way to honour his family’s long history of saving lives at sea.

John’s Great Grandad, Mr W.H. Glendewar started volunteering for the RNLI at the young age of 17 in 1897, where he would help as shore crew. On 5th December 1900, Mr Glendewar’s first call out was to the Rossgull Wreck.

In 1911, the William Henry Wilkinson lifeboat arrived on station and Mr Glendewar was appointed the second coxswain until 1919, on his return from war service, when he was made first coxswain.

In 1940, Mr Glendewar helped Captain Bill Furzer on the Fiona Boat to St Malo in what was referred to locally as 'Jersey's Dunkirk' to help the British soldiers out of Brittany, and he later retired after a remarkable 42 years of service with the RNLI. 

Mr Glendewar’s son in law, Mr George Stapley stepped into this path and joined the RNLI lifeboat crew, and received a Bronze Medal in 1949 for his services to the RNLI, and after retiring from the lifeboat he took the role of a launching authority. Mr Stapley also helped with preparing the St Helier lifeboat, Elizabeth Rippon and build a model of the Howard D lifeboat which is currently in the Maritime Museum.

Mary Richards, Mr Stapley’s daughter, took a different direction with the RNLI as she joined the fundraising committee and gave an incredible service of 30 years, also receiving a long service Bronze Medal.

Mary’s daughter Tina is currently part of the fundraising committee and has been for over 20 years.

Over the last year, Tina had mentioned to John that the RNLI Jersey team were coming up with unique initiatives to ‘Celebrate, Commemorate and Inspire’, as a way to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the RNLI. It was a no-brainer to John that he would honour his previous generations by creating a piece of art in the flower beds at Howard Davis Park. The planning process was very tricky, with the intricacies of the crown being the most difficult part to perfect. The RNLI flag is made up of over 14,500 plants and took a week to plant by kneeling on boards carefully positioned over the flower beds.

Michelle Cabot, Fundraising Chair of RNLI Jersey, expressed her appreciation for the family’s ongoing support over many years;

"The Richards family has been a pillar of strength for RNLI Jersey over the generations. Their dedication, whether at sea or through fundraising, embodies the spirit of our mission to save lives. The beautiful floral tribute is a heartfelt reminder of our history and ongoing legacy."