A year in the life of the new Llandudno Lifeboat Station

Llandudno RNLI are thriving after a momentous year celebrating a new chapter in the station’s longstanding history.

It has been a year since the new boathouse was officially opened on the 21 October 2017, moving the operations from Lloyds Street to Craig y Don. A Boathouse Opening and Naming Ceremony was held to open the new building and dedicate the two lifeboats: the William F Yates and Dr Barbara Saunderson. Among the special guests that day was Jenny Evans, wife of the late Ray Evans who campaigned tirelessly for years to help secure planning for the new RNLI boathouse on Llandudno’s seafront.

One year on, Jenny is now a very active volunteer at the station working with the Lifeboat Visits Team. The station is delighted to report that well over 7,000 people visited the new boathouse thanks to Lifeboat Visits Officer, Myfanwy Jones and the hardworking team. Most come to see the new Shannon all-weather lifeboat, but there are also many who especially visit to express their gratitude and thanks for the brave and selfless work of the volunteer crew and helpers.

The new and innovative Visitors’ Centre provide opportunities not only to look at the lifeboats but also to share the rich history of the RNLI and the Llandudno lifeboat story. This of course includes our local schools, who can now use visits to the boathouse as a valuable and diverse educational tool for both learning and hopefully as inspiration for our volunteers of the future.

Over the past 12 months the boathouse has witnessed some memorable occasions and highlights such as the Armed Forces Day, the Annual Open Day. Two long-standing members of the team have also been recognised for their commitment in recent months; volunteer Coxswain Graham Heritage and full-time mechanic Les Jones both received awards from the RNLI in recognition of their thirty years’ service to saving lives at sea.

Within this busy and exciting year, probably the most significant impact of this new development has been for the operational crews, who now have the best and safest of facilities to assist them in their challenging lifesaving endeavours.

If you have not yet visited the Lifeboat Station please come and meet us any Sunday between 1pm and 4pm, we would be delighted to see you and share some of the great things the RNLI at Llandudno achieves every year.

Notes to editors

RNLI media contacts

For more information please contact Jonathon Coe, Llandudno Lifeboat Press Officer on 07910 861193. Alternatively contact Eleri Roberts, RNLI Media Officer on 01745 585162 / 07771 941390 or email [email protected].

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.