Saturday 14 September marks a historic day for Burry Port Lifeboat Station

The day’s proceedings will consist of three important events, which will be delivered by attendees including the Chairman of the Lifeboat Management Group, Former Chairman of the RNLI, Lifeboat Operations Manager and Area Lifesaving Manager.

During the first part of the day, the boathouse will be officially opened during the ceremony by the Chairman of the Lifeboat Management Group and the Former Chairman of the RNLI, before it is blessed by the Vicar of Burry Port.

The stations new boathouse, which has been operative since 9 May 2019, has enough space to hold the stations lifeboats as well as having a mechanics workshop, training and changing facilities, a permanent shop and a viewing area and includes a visitor experience area

The next part of the ceremony is the handover of the stations new lifeboat The Misses Barrie, from its donors to the RNLI and the care of Burry Port Lifeboat Station.

Following the dedication service, the naming ceremony will take place, and the donors of lifeboat will be thanked for their generosity.

Burry Port’s new lifeboat was funded by The Misses Barrie Charitable Trust, which was established in December 1979 by Moira Morrison Barrie and Sheila Coupar Barrie. The two sisters were both firm supporters of the RNLI and Moira became Honorary Secretary to the North Broadway Branch of the RNLI.

They were keen fundraisers for the RNLI and after Moira passed away, she almost totally funded a Mersey class lifeboat named Moira Barrie which operated out of Barmouth in Gwynedd, Wales from 1992 until 26 April 2019.

The current Trustees of The Misses Barrie Charitable Trust are delighted to continue to support the important life-saving work of the RNLI. They are thrilled that the memory of Sheila and Moira Barrie will continue through the new Atlantic 85, The Misses Barrie.

The new Atlantic 85 class inshore lifeboat The Misses Barrie replaced the station’s Atlantic 75 in June of this year, and has been launched eighteen times since its arrival.

Lifeboat Operations Manager at Burry Port Lifeboat Station Roger Bowen said: ‘It has been a busy and productive transitional period, with our crew undergoing intensive training to familiarise themselves with the new lifeboat. The crew at Burry Port have had plenty of opportunities to put their training into practise, as they have responded to a variety of shouts since it was put on service.

‘We are so grateful for the generosity of The Misses Barrie Charitable Trust, because the RNLI relies on donations and support to help us to save lives at sea. We are also immensely grateful for the support we have received from the local community during the construction of the new boathouse.’

Notes to editors:

The ceremony at Burry Port Lifeboat Station is an invite only event.

Professional photographs and video content will be available after the event.

RNLI media contacts:

Lifeboat Press Officer for Burry Port Lifeboat Station Alun Wells on 07929783239 at [email protected] alternatively contact Eleri Roberts, Regional Media Officer on 07771941390 or at [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.