Rhyl RNLI station keeps up traditions
The service boards have been updated with recent lifeboat services
The RNLI has always been proud of its traditions, and stations endeavour to maintain these in modern times.
One of these traditions was for the services carried out by the lifeboats to be recorded on boards on the station walls, for all to see.
In times when digital printing is readily available, the art of signwriting is sadly becoming rarer, and artists are always in high demand for their skills.
Previously, the boards were written up locally and provided by local craftsmen as required.
Various community groups and individuals had sponsored the boards in the past, and this was recorded at the foot of each board.
Sadly, because of other priorities, these boards at Rhyl have not been updated since 2014. A friend of crew member Kevin Lawrence carried out the works free of charge on a regular basis, but is now no longer able to do so.
The management team of Rhyl RNLI station agreed to search for a signwriter who was willing to get the records up to date. One board was completed by Gary Drew from Colwyn bay (www.garydrew.com/) , but he was unable to find the time to carry out the work required for the other three boards needed to update the records.
The station is indebted to Pen-Y-Bryn joinery ( www.penybrynjoinery.co.uk/) who constructed two boards and presented them to the management team. There is still one board that needs to be provided; signwritten; and financed independently in the near future.
The team then searched for a new signwriter, and found David Kynaston near Ruabon, (www.davidkynaston.co.uk/) who was well known for his talents in hand writing record boards for clubs and schools. David agreed to do the work in November 2019 at a greatly reduced cost, and completed the two boards provided in February 2020. They were picked up and taken to station, and fitted where they are on show for all to see.
The pictures show Rhyl volunteer Press officer Paul Frost MBE collecting the boards from David Kynaston’s workshop, and the boards in place at the station.
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.