Lough Ree RNLI open all hours over the festive period
At a time when business and contact hours are at the heart of the national conversation Lough Ree RNLI is reminding everyone to take due care on the water over the holiday period but the charity and its volunteer crew remain on call 24/7 throughout Christmas and the New Year.
With 46 call-outs so far this year, 2021 has been another busy year for the volunteer crew at Lough Ree RNLI. The charity came to the assistance of over 150 people who had experienced difficulty of some kind on the lake or river Shannon this year.
To remain always in readiness the volunteers have continued with weekly ‘on the water training’ on board the charity’s lifeboat the ‘Tara Scougall’. Coupled with this were a number of multi-agency training and familiarisation sessions with other life saving partners on the water.
While the holiday period is traditionally busy one on the lake for both boats and swimmers Lough Ree RNLI Press Officer Tom McGuire said: ‘All who use the lake at this time need to be aware of the colder water temperatures and the higher water level which may obscure obstacles normally fully visible. In the event of anyone getting into difficulty a call should be made to the emergency services on 112 or 999 at the earliest opportunity. As always Lough Ree RNLI remains on call at all times, for some new crew members it will be a first Christmas on call.’
On land, the new lifeboat station is nearing completion on the shores of Lough Ree at Coosan Point, Athlone. All of the crew had an opportunity to walk through the facility last week and Lough Ree RNLI hope to move into the boathouse early in the the new year. A fundraising campaign has been ongoing throughout the year to raise a local community contribution of €100,000 towards the €1.2m project. This has been very successful and the target is well within reach after many great contributions, both big and small throughout the year. In the ‘season of giving’ Lough Ree RNLI hopes to
reach its target very soon.
The station has a local bank account where all donations, large or small, are welcome: ‘Loughree RNLI Boathouse Appeal – BIC:AIBKIE2D IBAN: IE80AIBK93226458090098’
Ends
Note to editors: File picture from recent training excercise in Athlone.
RNLI media contacts
For more information please telephone Tom McGuire, Lough Ree RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 0872470245 or email [email protected] or contact Nuala McAloon, Regional Media Officer on 0876483547 or [email protected] or Niamh Stephenson, Regional Media Manager on 0871254124 or [email protected]RNLI online
For more information on the RNLI please visit rnli.org. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre.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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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.