A new era at Rhyl RNLI lifeboat station begins.

'Anthony Kenneth Heard' , 13-34, took up station duties as the all-weather lifeboat at 3 pm on Wednesday 4 December 2019 after an eight-week intensive training period. This was to get the majority of the crew competent, so they are able to fully undertake their roles as the next-generation crews, saving lives at sea off the coast of Rhyl in North Wales. Crews unable to complete their training due will be mentored over the next few months to achieve the required standards.
The lifeboat came to Rhyl in October this year, and the crews have been training day and night to become fully competent in all the new drills and procedures associated with the new boat and it's launching equipment.
This was achieved over the weekend of the 30 November and 1 December, culminating with the RNLI assessors team announcing the crew and boat were fit for service on Monday 2 December.
Martin Jones, Coxswain of the station, says ' This brilliant news is the culmination of five years' hard work by the station management team, fundraisers, and crew, to not only raise the funds for the equipment, but to take time out from their normal lives to undertake training at all times of the day. I would like to also mention the patience of the crews' partners and families, who did not see their loved ones for many hours a day. Without them we would not be in the position we are today'
He continued ' We are so thrilled to be a part of the RNLI's plans for a modern-day lifeboat service, enabling crews to get to casualties quicker and safer with the most up-to-date technology available'.
The naming ceremony for the new boat is anticipated to be in the late Spring / early Summer 2020.

The retiring station boat, Mersey-class 'Lil Cunningham' 12-24 will be launched for the last time from station on the morning of Sunday 15 December, and will be taken to Conwy marina. It is thought that the boat will be put in the reserve fleet to back up the remaining Mersey lifeboats still in service. Martin continued ' We are all sad to see 'Lil' go, but we know that she has given us sterling service in the 27 years she has been here. We are certain that 'Ken' will be just as reliable for a similar period of time'.

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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