Following a donation to Walmer Lifeboat Station in memory of local woman, personal locator beacons have been fitted to all of the station’s lifejackets.

The beacons are tracking transmitters which aid the detection and location of boats, aircrafts and people in distress. The units will be stowed in a lifejacket flare pocket, when activated it produces a signal which is detected by satellite and alerts the rescue coordination centre, providing the crew with an additional level of protection when afloat.

The beacons will be activated should a crew member fall overboard and get washed away.

The crew have been able to purchase them after a generous donation made to the station in memory of Pamela Spencer, who passed away in January of this year. She was a keen supporter of Walmer RNLI lifeboat station and its volunteers.

Pamela’s husband Derek Spencer attended Walmer lifeboat station on Tuesday, September 2 to see the beacons placed in service.

The couple have lived in Deal since 1982 with Mrs Spencer working in what was then Customs and Excise and Mr Spencer was in the Royal Navy for 34 years. He later worked at the Port of Dover.

Lifeboat operations manager Denis Brophy was there to meet Mr Spencer.

Along with lifeboat crew, he gave Mr Spencer a tour of the station and its boats and Mr Spencer also sat in on the presentation given by trainer Peter Everard on how the personal locator beacons work and how important they could be, should they need to be used.

Mr Brophy said: “The volunteer crew of Walmer RNLI lifeboat are grateful to Mrs Spencer’s family and friends for the kind donation they have made in her memory. The personal locator beacons will greatly enhance the personal safety of the crew who put their lives at risk to safe others.”