Ilfracombe RNLI lifeboat appeal reaches target after ‘amazing’ response
The volunteer fundraisers at Ilfracombe lifeboat station are delighted that the appeal to raise £12,000 towards the station’s new inshore lifeboat has reached its target after only three weeks.
The appeal was launched on 12 February to raise the money towards the cost of a new D class inshore lifeboat as the current inshore lifeboat the Deborah Brown II is reaching the end of its operational life.
By 4 March the Ilfracombe RNLI volunteer fundraising team had raised almost £13,000. The whole amount will go towards the cost of the new inshore lifeboat. As soon as the appeal was launched the fundraising team received many donations from local individuals, groups and businesses, and the appeal also received a number of bequests.
Karen Ozelton, Fundraising Co-ordinator for Ilfracombe RNLI said: ‘the response from the local community has been amazing. We would like to thank everyone who has donated and helped raise money for this appeal. The volunteers in the fundraising team have also worked very hard, contacting local businesses and organisations who have offered to donate and helping arrange events. The response has really been overwhelming.’
Each new D class costs £52,000 and the remaining cost is being met by Paul Brown and his family and friends who also raised the money for the station’s previous two inshore lifeboats. The new D class will be named Deborah Brown III in memory of his wife who passed away in 1996.
The new lifeboat will arrive at Ilfracombe lifeboat station around May and there will be an official naming ceremony later in July.
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.