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Lifeboat guard of honour for Holyhead RNLI Helm's wedding

Lifeboats News Release

It was sunshine and smiles - and a little bit of drama - all the way when Holyhead RNLI Helm Sian Jones married her fiancé on Saturday (1 April).

Holyhead RNLI crew form a guard of honour for their Helm, Sian Jones, on her wedding day

Dickon Clark Photography

Holyhead RNLI crew form a guard of honour for their Helm, Sian Jones, on her wedding day
Sian, who was Holyhead RNLI's first female Helm in 200 years, married her fiancé Byron Price at the Trearddur Bay Hotel, near Holyhead, and as a surprise, fellow volunteer crew members gathered to provide a special guard of honour as she arrived for the ceremony with her father David.

The wedding went without a hitch - although the evening party was briefly interrupted with a lifeboat shout, after reports of two climbers missing in the South Stack area.

Crew members dashed away from the wedding to the station, but happily, the climbers turned up safe and well before the lifeboat was launched, so the crew were able to make their way back to the celebrations.

This wasn't the first time the volunteer crew had been called to duty during a celebration; as a similar thing happened at Christmas time during the station Christmas party.

Tony Price, Holyhead RNLI Coxswain, said: 'Saturday again proved the RNLI volunteers are always ready to answer an emergency call, no matter what the occasion.

'On this particular occasion, the bride was excused from attending the shout!'

The guard of honour was suggested by fellow crew member Beth Wilkinson and mainly organised by second coxswain Nigel Dennis, although Beth was keen to stress it was all a team effort.

Sian's father David said: 'Thank you so much to Beth and all the other heroes from Holyhead RNLI that made this wonderful gesture for Sian.'

Notes to editors:

The attached pictures must be credited to Dickon Clark Photography. They show:
- Holyhead RNLI crew form a guard of honour for their Helm, Sian Jones, on her wedding day
- Sian and her new husband Byron Price

For more information please contact Vicki Owens, Holyhead RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer, on 07531 681409 or Chris Cousens, RNLI Press Officer, Wales and West, on 07748 265496 or 01745 585162 or by email on [email protected]

Sian and her new husband Byron Price

Dickon Clark Photography

Sian and her new husband Byron Price

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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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