Picture a seaside stroll turned dramatic rescue, and a terrifying yacht race that claimed 19 lives. These are just two of the stories from some of Haslemere’s residents featured in the museum’s latest exhibition honouring the RNLI’s 200th birthday. Though far from the coast, many locals have needed the RNLI after facing life-or-death situations at sea.

For Juliet and her husband, Shaun, a walk at Start Point in South Devon in June 2016 almost ended in catastrophe. What began as a gentle afternoon stroll with their dog, Bertie, took a dangerous turn when Bertie ventured too close to the cliff edge and slipped onto a precipice. Juliet attempted a risky rescue but lost her footing, falling 30 to 40 feet onto the rocks below.

“I went into a ball, knowing this wasn’t going well and that I might well be paralysed,” said Juliet. “I felt every bit of that fall – it seemed to take ages, and I was very frightened.”

With the tide rising and unaware the RNLI had been called, Juliet, fuelled by adrenaline, managed to climb back up the cliff despite severe injuries, including fractures in her pelvis and spine. She was airlifted to safety, with both Juliet and Bertie receiving treatment thanks to the “wonderful NHS” and the quick-thinking RNLI team.

In another harrowing story from the infamous 1979 Fastnet Yacht Race, which killed 19 people, Frances Power, 21, and her 19-year-old brother, Matthew, faced mountainous seas off Land’s End. Their ordeal, with a crew of eight, included a capsized boat, a broken radio, and a jammed rudder amid 40-foot waves.

“I knew we were in a perilous situation,” said Frances, who manned pumps as others clung to the boat. The young sailors endured 14 hours adrift before a distress flare summoned rescue from the Dunmore East lifeboat.