New Brighton lifeboat training and fundraising appeal raises £55,000 in just eight months

Dec 21 2011 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

LIFEBOAT volunteers are celebrating after smashing a £50,000 fundraising target in just eight months.

New Brighton Lifeboat launched an appeal in the spring to raise the money for crew training and essential lifesaving equipment.

Today the total stands at £55,000 thanks to the generosity of kind-hearted Wirralians and lifeboat supporters across the North West.

New Brighton is one of the busiest lifeboat stations in the North and so far this year has had over 50 call-outs.

It has 35 volunteer crew members, who man the fast response inshore lifeboat Atlantic 85 B-837 Charles Dibdin and inshore rescue hovercraft H-005 Hurley Spirit.

Frank Brereton, chairman of RNLI New Brighton, said it was a “phenomenal achievement”.

He said: “It never ceases to amaze me - the generosity and creativity of people in this region when it comes to supporting something they feel is of value to society.

“In this case, a vast number of individuals and organisations have felt they needed to help us achieve our £50,000 target and in this case well exceeded it.

“A great big thanks from all the RNLI volunteers at the station to everyone who has been involved in raising the money and contributing to the campaign.”

Donations came from organisations, community groups and individuals – some taking on gruelling physical challenges to raise the cash.

Ex-RNLI New Brighton lifeboat crewmen Tony Jones and Tony Clare completed the first recorded swim from Crosby to New Brighton.

Even former Mayor of Wirral Alan Jennings did his bit, with an impromptu donning of full lifeboat gear at the launch of the appeal raising £57.

Other donations came from the RNLI’s network of regular volunteer fundraisers.

One supporter asked for donations to the campaign instead of presents at his birthday party, a gesture which raised over £800.

Mike Jones, volunteer senior helmsman of New Brighton’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat, said: 'The nature of what we do and some of the conditions we operate in take a heavy toll on our personal equipment.

“For instance our drysuits need replacing every couple of years and during that time may need several repairs, life jackets and helmets can take a hammering plus new volunteers need to be kitted out.

“Without the generosity of the public we wouldn't be able to operate.”

Some of the money will be used for further tractor driver training and one of the newer crew members will be going on an Atlantic 85 skills course.

Two more crew members will receive training which will enable them to take charge of the hovercraft on callouts.