Rye Harbour RNLI lifeboat station receives many donations to their new lifeboat

Local man Bob Young, aged 68, sadly passed away on 15 July after being diagnosed with lung cancer only three months earlier. He requested instead of flowers at his funeral people make donations appeal for a RNLI lifeboat instead, to help save lives at sea.

The station were amazed as donations to it's Just Giving page suddenly started to flood in and, together with other monies delivered to the station by Ruth, Bob’s widow, the total raised was £661.

Steve Griffin, from Rye Harbour RNLI, said: 'Bob, originally from Belvedere in Kent, had been an engineer before retiring to Rye where he had always supported the local RNLI. He was an avid music fan and fly fisherman who will be sadly missed by all his family and friends.'

The naming ceremony for the new lifeboat will be held at Rye Harbour on 23 September and everyone is welcome.

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. It costs £95,000 a year to operate an inshore lifeboat station like the one at Rye Harbour. People donate and raise money for the RNLI in all sorts of ways. Anyone wanting to find out more can visit their website at www.rnli.org/support-us

RNLI media contacts

• Steve Griffin, RNLI Rye Harbour Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, 07710 297606/ [email protected]
• Tim Ash, RNLI Public Relations Manager (London/South East/East), 0207 6207426 / 07785 296252 / [email protected]
• Paul Dunt, RNLI Press Officer (London/East/South East) on 0207 6207416, 07786 668825, [email protected]
• For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789

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.

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.