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Call out for Holyhead RNLI lifeboat as naming ceremony celebrations get underway

Lifeboats News Release

RNLI volunteers never know when the call for help will come, and at the weekend, it was following the naming of the station’s new D-class lifeboat.

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The volunteer crew had just assembled for a celebratory meal with the donor family, when their pagers sounded.  The Holyhead all-weather lifeboat was launched to a 34ft yacht which was becalmed three miles north west of north stack, with three people aboard
The vessel was also reported to have engine cooling problems, which had been resolved before the RNLI volunteer crew arrived. The vessel was then able to proceed under its own power. The all-weather lifeboat stayed close by in case required and escorted the vessel into Holyhead harbour. The lifeboat arrived back on station just before 7pm.

It had been a busy day for the volunteer crew who had earlier in the afternoon seen their new D-class officially dedicated.  The lifeboat was named in memory of a couple whose lives were shaped by a love of the coast. The event was a proud day for the station’s volunteers, as their new D-class lifeboat was named Mary & Archie Hooper.

Mary and Archie Hooper, were keen RNLI fundraisers and provided a generous legacy which has funded the new lifeboat. One of the main motivations for wanting to support the charity was witnessing first hand some of the risk visitors undertook on their coast. They watched on with great interest from the home they built at Llandanwg Beach near Harlech in north Wales.  They made it their vocation to help save lives at sea and were tireless in visiting caravan sites, raising money for the RNLI and spreading lifesaving safety messages.
 
The history of their lives together forms the basis of their desire to support the RNLI with this generous legacy. 
 
Notes to Editors

Full details of the naming ceremony and pictures from the event are available to download here: http://rnli.org/NewsCentre/Pages/Memory-of-lifelong-sea-lovers-to-live-on-at-Holyhead-RNLI.aspx 

Media Contacts
 
For further information, please telephone Danielle Rush, RNLI Public Relations Manager in Wales on 01745 585162 or 07786 668829, or Lifeboat Press Officer Ray Steadman on 07867 506939. Images will be available following the event.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.

About the author

Danielle Rush
Public Relations Manager, St Asaph

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