WHITBY lifeboat coxswain Mike Russell is hanging up his wellies for the last time after 30 years loyal service to the RNLI.

Mike, who recently turned 60, joined the charity back in 1987 while he was working on a fishing boat, and became coxswain in 2002.

He said one of the most difficult aspects had been the affect on his family, having to leave his wife Carolyn in a restaurant, or with a full trolley of shopping in a supermarket when his pager went off.

He said: “I couldn’t have done this without the love and support of my family.

“The crew have been my family for the last thirty years too. I’ve seen these lads grow up and flourish and I will enjoy watching them take over the reigns. The lifeboat has been in Whitby for over 200 years and we are merely custodians of it at a certain time, it will carry on for years long after we’ve all gone.”

He said crew members supported each other during good and bad times.

Mike said: “We talk things through after a difficult shout. But we also have a lot of laughs, a lot of mick-taking, it keeps things light, which you need when you see some of the things we see.”