Sun and fun at the Macduff lifeboat gala day

Wednesday 23 August 2017

Once again the sun shone on Macduff for the Macduff Royal National Lifeboat Institution gala day.

Whitehills Harbour Commissioners presenting the RNLI with a Cheque for £750 in front of Macduff lifeboat Lydia Macdonald with Stormy Stan — Whitehills Harbour Commissioners presenting the RNLI with a Cheque for £750

1000's of people from the local community and further afield came to Macduff to visit the gala and to support the RNLI.

As well as four lifeboats, Lydia Macdonald from Macduff, William Blannin from Buckie, Willie and May Gall from Fraserburgh and the now privately owned Douglas Currie, representatives from Police Scotland and HM Coastguard attended the event.

There was a varied programme of entertainment during the day, with local musicians and dancers performing for the crowds.

Mike Rawlins, Lifeboat Press Officer, said: 'the crowds this year were even larger than at our last event in 2015. We estimated that over 4000 people came to the harbour and fish market during the day.

'Again the weather was good to us, the wind dropped, and the sun shone for most of the day.

'Our Community Safety Team checked 38 life jackets this year, and although no one life jacket was perfect, no major faults were found. The team also gave safety advice to 178 people during the day.'

During the gala, Whitehills Harbour Commissioners presented the RNLI with a cheque for £750 which they had raised from events in Whitehills.

Roy Morrison, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Macduff RNLI, said: 'Once again I have to thank you to the community and businesses of Macduff and along the coast for all their support. It is only with their continued support that we can host this event.

'Our gala day raises a significant amount of money, which we use locally to help continue our work saving lives at sea.'

Roy continued: 'I also have to say thank you to the volunteers at the station, the crew and the fundraisers, both of these groups put in an enormous amount of time and effort, planning the day, visiting local businesses for donations and of course running the event itself, without them giving up their time to organise things, we wouldn't have a gala.'

RNLI Macduff Coxswain, Chassey Findley said: 'The gala was a great day, it was fantastic to see so many people from the communities along the coast coming to support us again.

'It was great to welcome the volunteer crews and boats from our flank stations of Fraserburgh and Buckie in to Macduff for the day.

'As well as being a fun event for all the family it allows us to promote the ongoing RNLI Respect The Water campaign. Respect The Water is designed to educate people who use the coast for work and leisure of the risks and what to do if they end up in the water.

'During the day our crew members were able to speak to the public about what measures they can take to stay safe while enjoying our beautiful coastline and beaches.'

Notes for editors

Macduff lifeboat gala took place on Sunday 20 August, 11 am – 4 pm, at Macduff Harbour
Macduff lifeboat Lydia Macdonald is a B class Atlantic 85 which carries 4 crew
Lydia Macdonald is unique within the RNLI being the only lifeboat that is launched from a mobile crane. This method of launch allows the lifeboat to be launched from other locations should the need arise
Douglas Currie was stationed at Macduff until 1985 when she was transferred to Fraserburgh RNLI. She is now privately owned
Buckie lifeboat is a Severn Class named William Blannin
Fraserburgh lifeboat is a Trent Class named Willie and May Gall

RNLI media contacts:

Mike Rawlins, Macduff RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 07720 288366 [email protected]

Richard Smith, Public Relations Manager Scotland on 01738 642956, 07786 668903 or [email protected]

Henry Weaver, RNLI Press Officer for Scotland, 01738 642946, 07771 943026, [email protected]

Or contact RNLI Public Relations on 01202 336789.

Banff Castle Pipe Band playing to the crowds with lifeboat in the foregound — Banff Castle Pipe Band playing to the crowds

RNLI Community Safety advisor Phil Denham carrying out a life jacket safety check

Stormy Stan with RNLI Macduff volunteers Paul Galloway & Stuart Milne with RNLI Buckie lifeboat in the background — Stormy Stan

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.

Sun and fun at the Macduff lifeboat gala day

About the author

Categories