While he is used to taking the helm of the Church of England in Cornwall, the Bishop of Truro, the Rt Rev Tim Thornton tried something new when he took the wheel of Falmouth’s all weather lifeboat the Richard Cox Scott.

Bishop Tim was welcomed to the station by coxswain John Blakeston who explained to the Bishop more about the work of the volunteer crew and their boats. During his visit, Bishop Tim was also given a tour of the inshore lifeboat, the Eve Pank.

Dave Nicoll, the RNLI’s area fundraising manager for Cornwall and member of Falmouth’s crew, then acted as coxswain for the Bishop’s trip out into the Carrick Roads on the Richard Cox Scott. While onboard, the Bishop was able to learn more about navigation and even had a go at helming the vessel as she returned to the station.

Bishop Tim said: “I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to visit Falmouth’s RNLI crew and learn more about the invaluable work they do. It was amazing to hear about the challenges crews’ face, how much training they must undertake and how high tech the boats were.”

Following the visit both Bishop Tim and members of the RNLI went on to take part in Remembrance Day services.