The volunteers of Weston RNLI dedicate a new lifeboat
At the naming Ceremony of our new lifeboat we gave thanks to the family who raised the funds in the name of their son and his partner who died following a tragic crash
The funds for this modern D Class were raised by the family of Adrian Beaumont, a 46 year old IT expert who loved sailing in all its aspects. Working in Avonmouth he and his family were travelling up the M5 in 2017 when they were involved in a collision. Tragically Adrian and his partner died as a result of their injuries. He is survived by two children.
His family decided to honour his memory by fund raising for a new lifeboat for Weston-super-Mare RNLI. His mother, Jenny, had even been a teacher of one of the Weston crew. The lifeboat has been in Weston for a few months and in that time has performed a dozen rescues including one life saved after a woman was plucked from under the sea.
The Naming ceremony took place at St John the Baptist Church in Weston. The service was led by the Reverend Peter Ashman, Rector of the Parish Church of St. John the Baptist, and Reverend Adrian Wolton, former crew at Weston-super-Mare Lifeboat Station.
Jenny Beaumont and two of Adrian’s friends spoke of his achievements and Jenny then handed the lifeboat into the care of the RNLI. This was accepted by Weston RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Mike Buckland who thanked the family for their donation. He then handed it on to helmsman Liam McDermott who accepted it on behalf of the crew and station. The ceremony then moved outside for the official naming when a bottle of champagne was poured over the bows of the boat.
After the ceremony everyone moved down to the old Cove building by Marine Lake to view the lifeboat being taken through its paces on the sea.
Jenny Beaumont said to the volunteers;
‘Thank you and all your colleagues for a well organised and enjoyable morning. As a family we were amazed to see so many people filling the church and thought the service, speeches, ceremony, refreshments and demonstration a fitting tribute to everyone's fund raising efforts. That the Adrian Beaumont was achieved through the generosity and hard work of his family and friends would have chuffed him to bits, and we are pleased to hand over the boat to the Weston-super-Mare RNLI’
Mike Buckland said:’ I am delighted that so many of you have joined us today, to share this special occasion. Our Mayor and Mayoress, Jenny with her family and friends, crew members and their families, fundraisers, colleagues from our flank lifeboat stations, representatives of other emergency services and so many more are all here today. Thank you all for taking the time to celebrate with us today.’
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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