RNLI Memorial fund continues to benefit from Sunderland Music CD
This weekend, volunteers from Sunderland RNLI lifeboat station will be in the Bridges shopping centre selling copies of a music CD which is being used to raise funds for the memorial fund set up in memory of ex Sunderland RNLI volunteer Andrew Cantle.
The volunteers stall will be located within the Bridges shopping centre, on Walworth Way opposite Bodycare.
There are eleven tracks on the CD, all performed by 'Speakeasy' regulars. All but two of the tracks are self-penned and the performances are wonderful.
The disc features a track by Andy McGill, a volunteer himself with Sunderland RNLI. Andy a Funeral Director from Roker has been a volunteer crewman with the RNLI for the last 3 years.
The target of the memorial fund is to raise enough money to fund the next D Class inshore lifeboat to be stationed at Sunderland which will be named after Andrew (Cantle). The funds current total stands at almost £32,500 aims to raise £40,000 in the next three years.
Andrew, who lived in Rawcliffe, York with partner, Beth Webster, was tragically killed on 10th February six years ago (2011) when the Manx2.com commuter plane he was co-piloting crashed at Cork Airport in thick fog.
Andrew Cantle (aged 27) first became involved with Sunderland RNLI Lifeboat station in 2000 when he decided to serve with the charity as part of the Community Service element of the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
After completing the award in 2001 he decided to stay with the charity and serve as volunteer lifeboat crew where he served until 2008, when he moved to York to take up his career as an airline pilot. During this time he took part in 65 emergency missions which resulted in the rescue of 66 people.
Andy McGill, volunteer crew at Sunderland RNLI: ‘We are hoping the sales from the CD will help push the fund closer towards its target of £40,000. We are all very thankful to George & the team for choosing the RNLI and Andy’s memorial fund in particular as the charity to benefit from the sale of the CD. Another key thank you must go to the local sponsors who have ensured every penny raised from the sale of the CD will go directly towards paying for the next D Class inshore lifeboat in Andy's name’.
RNLI 'Forever by the Sea' funds is a positive and powerful way to honour the life of someone special. By setting up a fund in the name of your loved one, you can turn treasured memories into practical support for courageous volunteer lifeboat crews.
For more information about or how to setup a forever by the sea memorial fund go to RNLI website.
As a registered charity the RNLI relies on voluntary donations and legacies from the public for its income.
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• Sunderland RNLI Lifeboat Station operates two inshore type lifeboats: An Atlantic 85 8.3m inflatable capable of 35 knots and a D Class (IB-1) 4.5m inflatable capable of 25 knots.
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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