Amble RNLI says ‘thank you’ after reaching its £200,000 fundraising target

The target was reached on Sunday (19 June) during a coffee morning at the charity’s lifeboat station in Amble.

The new Shannon class lifeboat is currently being built at the RNLI’s All-weather Lifeboat Centre* in Poole, Dorset. The money raised by the appeal will fund completion of the vessel.

Amble RNLI’s Shannon is set to arrive later this year and will be named Elizabeth and Leonard in memory of a couple whose legacy will help partially to fund it.*

The £200,000 fundraising campaign was launched in July 2014, since which a multitude of events have been held to help raise money, including coffee mornings, open gardens, golf days, race nights, a fashion show and a fishing competition.

The appeal also received a boost from The Northumberland Gazette’s Jam Jar Army appeal.

Katrina Cassidy, Chairperson of the Amble Lifeboat Fundraising Committee (ALF), said: ‘On behalf of everyone at Amble Lifeboat Fundraisers, I’d like to say a massive ‘thank you’ for the overwhelming support that we’ve received for the appeal, not just from the local community, schools, council  and businesses, but from supporters far and wide. 
 
‘In just 23 months it’s truly amazing that we’ve managed to hit our £200,000 target and we couldn’t have done it without the generosity of the general public, our supporters and the time and effort put in by members of ALF as well as other RNLI fundraising guilds.’

Gillian King, RNLI Community Fundraising Manager, added: ‘Huge thanks must go to our volunteer fundraising committee which has worked tirelessly to ensure that we reached our goal. It’s also been touching to witness heartfelt support ranging from children donating their pocket money to funeral donations in lieu of flowers.

‘I’m sure there will be a real sense of pride when the Shannon arrives on station and the volunteer crew is looking forward to starting their next chapter of lifesaving. Naturally though, everyone will be very sad to bid farewell to our current all-weather lifeboat The Four Boys, when she reaches the end of her operational life.’

RNLI Photo caption
The photograph shows Amble Lifeboat Fundraising Committee toasting reaching their total. Photo credit: Bartle Rippon.

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Notes to editors

• In 2016, Amble’s current all-weather Mersey class lifeboat, The Four Boys, will be nearing the end of her operational life and is set to be replaced by the newest member of the RNLI fleet, a Shannon class lifeboat.

• Amble RNLI launched a fundraising appeal in July 2014 to raise £200,000 towards the cost of its new Shannon class lifeboat. The total cost of the vessel is £2M.

• Mrs. Elizabeth Foley Brumfield from Hull left a generous legacy to the RNLI following her death in 2013. She requested that it be used towards the purchase an all-weather lifeboat in memory of her and her late husband, Leonard. Elizabeth was a lifelong supporter of the RNLI and her father was a marine engineer. Amble RNLI’s Shannon class lifeboat will be named Elizabeth and Leonard in their memory.

• The Shannon is the RNLI’s next generation all-weather lifeboat and is the most agile in the RNLI fleet. It is the first modern RNLI all-weather lifeboat to be propelled by water jets and not propellers. Capable of 25 knots, the Shannon is 50% faster than the lifeboats it replaces, ensuring that those in need are reached more quickly than before.

• The RNLI has an All-weather Lifeboat Centre (ALC) at its headquarters in Poole, Dorset. The facility brings every stage of the lifeboat building process under one roof.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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