FAMILY and friends of Williton student Toby Rundle celebrated the gift of his lifesaving legacy at the official dedication of a lifeboat that bears his name. The Atlantic 85 class inshore rigid inflatable boat was officially named and handed over to the lifeboat station in the North Devon village of Clovelly last Saturday, where it will be based. And for the 100-plus crowd who gathered around the harbour, it was the culmination of a four-year fundraising campaign to create a fitting tribute to the talented 21-year-old. Toby, the only son of West Somerset journalists Chris and Debbie Rundle, died in 2009 just as he was about to start his third and final year of a classics and English degree at Oxford University. His family, many friends and even people who never knew him helped raise more than £174,000 towards the cost of the lifeboat by holding a series of money spinning events ranging from a jazz ball and an auction to sponsored walks. A number of generous individual donations also helped the campaign hit its target. The Toby Rundle officially went into service at the beginning of May and was launched for the first time within less than 24 hours, going to the aid of a kayak. But the lifeboat's place in Clovelly was firmly cemented when Mr Rundle formally handed what he said would have to be known as "he", rather than the traditional female gender given to boats, to the RNLI. Mr Rundle, who is the volunteer press officer and a former crew member at Minehead lifeboat station, spoke of Toby as a much loved and missed son, brother, cousin and friend. "It's been said many times that the ethos underpinning the lifeboat service is that of the kindness of strangers - typified by the willingness of the men and women of its crews to put their own lives at risk to rescue people they don't know, have never met and will probably never see again," he said. "We encountered something of that spirit during the months of fundraising - people who didn't even know Toby came forward to support the effort because they felt buying a lifeboat was an appropriate way to remember him." Mr Rundle said it was a measure of the kind of person Toby was that the fundraising campaign had received such generous support from his friends - from Millfield School, where he was a pupil, from Oxford and from his wider social circle. "We are delighted that the RNLI has decided to station the boat in Clovelly - not merely one of the most iconic seaside villages in Europe, if not the world, but a community with a long and illustrious tradition of saving lives at sea; one which pre-dates the RNLI itself and which we hope this boat will uphold for many years to come." The task of formally naming the lifeboat and christening 'him' with a bottle of bubbly fell to Toby's sister Philippa. Earlier, children of Clovelly's volunteer crew had each read a chapter charting the station's history and Cara Jade, granddaughter of Clovelly RNLI president Aubrey Loze, sang the haunting folk song Blow the Wind Southerly. Local musicians performed a medley of sea shanties and the Hartland Town Band provided the accompaniment for the hymn Eternal Father, Strong to Save, as well as a musical backdrop for much of the ceremony. A poem titled Toby Rundle and written to mark the occasion by local supporter Edward Braund was read by senior helm of the Clovelly crew Neil Wonnacott. And two of Toby's closest schoolfriends, Freddie Saul and Emily Collins, paid moving tributes to him in celebration of a life that was short but always colourful and strikingly individual. The station's operations manager Martel Fursden told the crowds that it was with great pride that Clovelly accepted the new lifeboat. She said it was an honour to be on the receiving end of such hard work and dedicated fundraising. "Today is about looking forward, forward to the future of the RNLI and the future of Clovelly's lifeboat station," she said. "I do believe though that you should look back occasionally in order to see just how far you've come. "And we have come a long way. So, on behalf of my amazing crew and team of fundraisers, I would like to thank the Rundle family. "Your generosity has given Clovelly a lifesaver." The Toby Rundle was launched in bright sunshine to the sound of cheers and one of its namesake's favourite songs - Float On by Modest Mouse. Photo: Steve Guscott