The late John Sharp’s gift to the RNLI honours his remarkable family history in helping to save lives at sea 

When John Sharp passed away in 2019, he left a generous gift to the Charities Aid Foundation and wrote a letter to his brother, Anthony, with a list of charities to consider as beneficiaries – one of which was the RNLI. 

Anthony shares how, in his retirement, John had researched the Sharp family tree, which revealed that his ancestor (also named John Sharp) had commissioned one of Lionel Lukin’s patented ‘unimmergible boats’ in 1786. This helped the local community on the north-east coast to be better equipped to face the extreme dangers of helping shipwrecked sailors at sea. 

With this fascinating family history in mind, Anthony talks about how the family settled on the RNLI as the charity to benefit from John’s legacy. He also reveals the exciting news that in 2024, a new Shannon class lifeboat, funded by John’s estate and carrying the name John Sharp, will be launched.  

200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI   

Interview by Adventurous Audio

Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls   

The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200