The Hibbert Assembly FOR THOSE IN PERIL IN THE SEA Suggestions for a primary school assembly
Ask children whether they have heard of Grace Darling. Explain that she was a heroine, that is a woman who did something very brave.
Grace Darling's father was a lighthouse keeper in the Farne Islands. His job was to see that the light shone to warn ships of the dangers of rocks. One very stormy night in 1838 a ship, the Forfarshire, was driven onto the rocks. Some of the people on board managed to get onto the rocks but they were then in terrible danger of being drowned. Grace and her father rowed out to them and brought the women and as many of the men as their little boat would carry back to the shore. Then Grace's father went back with two of the men to rescue the others. (He needed the men to help in the rescue and to row the boat.)
Grace became something of a star. Lots of people gave money to set up a fund for her. They raised £750 which was quite a fortune in Victorian times. People also begged for locks of Grace's hair! It seems strange, perhaps to us, but Grace cut off so much that she was in danger of looking quite bald! (Warn children not to do this themselves!) People then wore Grace's hair in a locket!
You might think that Grace was very unselfish.
There are people like Grace today, who are ready to risk their own lives to save other people who are in danger at sea. They go out in modern lifeboats as soon as they hear that they are needed. Nobody pays them to do this. Like Grace they go out simply because they want to help people.
Today's lifeboats are provided by the Royal National LIfeboat Institution.
This is a special year for the RNLI. It is 175 years old. It had already been founded several years before Grace and her father carried out their daring rescue, but had only been able to provide lifeboats at a few places. Now it has boats all around our shores.
We should be very grateful for people who are willing to risk their own lives for the sake of others.
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