Tobermory RNLI crew member on a mission to visit all UK lifeboat stations – in his plumber’s van
Tobermory volunteer crew member and plumber, Tom Marsland, will be making house calls with a difference this summer when he visits all 200 RNLI stations in Great Britain and Northern Ireland in his plumber's van.
Travelling with friend and West Yorkshire firefighter, Dave Tattersfield, Tom and the 'Tom Plumb van' will cover more than 5,300 miles to raise money for the RNLI and the Fire Fighters' Charity. The 'Tom Plumb Station Run' will begin in Tobermory in late July and take in all of the UK coastline, including the Orkneys, Shetland and the Scillies before returning to Tobermory in time for Lifeboat Day on 19 August 2012.
Tom said: 'I joined the Tobermory crew just over a year ago so I know at first hand how important training is to enable volunteers like me with no previous maritime experience to help save lives at sea. However, training is expensive and it costs more than £1200 each year to train a lifeboat crew member. The Tom Plumb Station Run is my way of raising money to help support our crews around the coast.'
Tom is looking forward to sharing the driving with long time friend and fire fighter, Dave Tattersfield. He added: 'We are getting a huge amount of logistical support from fire stations around the UK, including accommodation and fuel for the Tom Plumb van. Having been friends with Dave for ten years, I understand what a tough job firefighters have and so we're also proud to be raising funds for the Fire Fighters' Charity which provides support to fire service personnel and their families.’
The Tom Plumb Station Run can be followed on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/tomplumbstationrun and donations can be made online at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/tomplumbstationrun
Notes to editors
• The photograph shows volunteer crew member Tom Marsland and the ‘Tom Plumb van’ outside Tobermory Lifeboat Station.
• An itinerary for the Tom Plumb Station run will be produced shortly and will be made available to regional media.
RNLI media contacts
For more information please telephone Sam Jones, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 07747 601900 or sam.j.jones@btinternet.com, or Richard Smith RNLI Divisional Media Relations Manager – Scotland Tel: 01738 642956 Mob: 07786 668903 Email: Richard_Smith2@rnli.org.uk or contact RNLI Public Relations on 01202 336789.