Lifeboat Donor's decendants visit Rhyl RNLI station

Rhyl station was paid a surprise visit by the two girls, Charisma (8) and Aurora(6); relatives of Lil Cunningham (after which Rhyl's Mersey-class lifeboat is named); and Betty Cunningham, who donated the funds to purchase the lifeboat in 1991.
The lifeboat was funded by the sale of War Bonds purchased by Lil, and was donated to the RNLI after her death, to fund a lifeboat at Rhyl. She had served in the Womens' Land Army in Prestatyn during the war years of World war II , and wanted to provide a lifeboat at the nearest station in Wales to Prestatyn.
The two girls, accompanied by their mother, were met by the Station Lifeboat operations manager Darrel Crowther, and were shown over the boat by the crew. They were shown the plaque on the lifeboat commemorating Miss Cunningham's donation, and had their photo taken alongside it.
Rhyl's Mersey-class all-weather lifeboat is now nearly 26 years old, and will soon be replaced by a new Shannon-class lifeboat in the near future.

Picture shows Charisma(L) and Aurora, with the plaque on Rhyl Lifeboat recoding their Great-Great Aunt's donation.

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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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