ART, ACTION, AND THE LIFEBOAT

he lifeboats are an absolute essential along our coastline. We live on a series of islands, so having an emergency service capable of rescuing those who get into difficulty at sea isn't a luxury—it’s a necessity. We have the RNLI: dedicated volunteers who risk their lives to save others.

​This post owes its existence to a comment on my last entry by the Lord High Chamberlain of the Great Pudding of Eborakon - friend of the blog Neil - you can catch his blog here. He mentioned my artwork for the campaign to save the New Quay Lifeboat. Looking back through the archives, I realised I’d never actually documented this particular milestone in my artistic journey.

​Back in 2017, New Quay’s all-weather lifeboat was facing a potential axing following an operational review of the area. A passionate community campaign was born to fight the decision. As a firm friend of New Quay, I was asked to create a festive card in 2018 that highlighted the potential, dangerous delays in response times should the cuts go ahead.

​Looking at the artwork now, I know I could do a much better job with today's tools and experience, but the campaigners were thrilled with them, and they went down a storm (no pun intended).

​The cards were reissued in 2019 and sold out all over again. Then, in 2023, came the news everyone had been fighting for: the RNLI officially reversed the decision. Instead of losing an all-weather capability, New Quay was allocated a brand-new Shannon-class lifeboat to replace the ageing Mersey-class vessel.

​It was only a very small part I played in the grand scheme of saving the station, but I'm proud to have contributed. The real heroes, as always, are the lifeboat crews who put everything on the line to save lives without fear or favour. They deserve nothing but our utmost respect and support. I honour them, and I’m deeply humbled to have had the chance to lend a hand. As I documented in my previous post the volunteers and staff of the RNLI have been getting a hard time from right wing protesters - I stand with these brave people and support them in the excellent work they do.

The spirit of the Urban Viking—and the occasional absurdity of navigating the modern world—lives on in my webcomic, Northman. 

You can read the latest chapter here: northman.kirt.me.uk

I’ll be sharing more of my journey and the daily reality of staying grounded in the modern world over on social media. Join in:

Instagram ● Threads ● BlueSky