A paraglider will relive the moment his life was saved by the RNLI as part of the charity’s celebrations for a major milestone.

Dermot Ryan said he received the best Christmas gift imaginable when the lifeboat crew in Newhaven rescued him on Christmas Eve in 2021.

Dermot, who lives near Newhaven, is a regular paraglider at the spot he was taking off from- at the cliffs between Newhaven and Saltdean. 

He was rescued from a cove between Newhaven and Peacehaven.

The 62-year-old will share his story on the RNLI’s new 200 Voices podcast, which launched on August 18 in the run-up to the life-saving charity’s bicentenary on March 4, 2024.

His episode will air on Christmas Eve.

Dermot recalled the day of his rescue, saying: “Even before I got to the point, I looked back and saw that I was out of range of the beach.

“At that stage, even before I flew round the corner, I knew I was in trouble.

“It’s like being in an industrial washing machine and it’s set on the freeze to death cycle.

“I remember there was one crew member, he had his hand on my shoulder, and he was talking to me the whole time.

"Just that human touch, I get quite emotional when I think about it. Just that reassurance really, that was absolutely wonderful.

“A wave of euphoria washed over me and I remember thinking, wow it feels good to be alive.”

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An episode is released every day for 200 days, exploring stories from the charity’s history, through to current day.

The charity has been saving lives at sea since it was founded in 1824 and, in that time, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 144,000 lives.

Funded by voluntary donations, and with lifeboats crewed by specially trained volunteers, the RNLI has a remarkable 200-year story to tell – many highlights of which are shared through the podcast series.

Available across all podcast platforms and the RNLI’s website, listeners can hear from survivors, supporters, volunteers, lifeguards, celebrity ambassadors, historians and many more from across the UK and Ireland and beyond.

The 200 Voices series also includes celebrity ambassadors such as The Sixth Commandment actor Timothy Spall, Gavin and Stacey actress Ruth Jones, Irish musician Phil Coulter, gold medal Olympian Sir Ben Ainslie and BAFTA-winning actress Joanna Scanlan.

RNLI strategic content manager Rory Stamp said: “200 Voices is an incredible collection of stories that are emotive, powerful, inspiring and heart-warming. The series gives us a chance to hear from a whole variety of amazing people who have played a part in or been touched by our lifesaving charity.

“200 Voices is the first in a programme of activity planned to mark the RNLI’s 200th anniversary. At this monumental milestone, we celebrate the world-class lifesaving service we provide today, remember our remarkable history and aim to inspire the future generations of lifesavers and supporters as we move through into the next 200 years.”

You can listen to the RNLI’s 200 Voices daily wherever you get your podcasts or at RNLI.org/200Voices.

To find out more about the RNLI’s bicentenary, visit RNLI.org/200.