Port of Falmouth Sailing Association makes generous RNLI donation
Port of Falmouth Sailing Association (PoFSA) has donated £1,550 to Falmouth Lifeboat Station, to express its gratitude to the volunteers who continued to provide safety support throughout the pandemic.
Neil Andrew, Chair of PoFSA’s Race Management Group, raised the funds by taking on a challenge to grow his beard for a full year, until the anniversary of the first lockdown. As restrictions remained in place beyond March, he ended up going a total of 427 days without shaving.
Neil Andrew, PoFSA said: “I have always had tidy hair and generally been clean shaven but like so many others I let my hair grow out while barber shops were closed. By Falmouth Sailing Week in August, I had quite an impressive beard. Even people who have known me for years didn’t recognise me! I thought it was a perfect opportunity to keep going for a full year, to raise money for a great cause.
“PoFSA is enormously grateful to the amazing volunteers at Falmouth Lifeboat Station. I’m delighted to be able to give something back for the support they’ve shown local sailing clubs throughout the pandemic.
He added: “Many thanks to the wonderful team at Cutting Edge salon in Falmouth too, who were able to fit me in after hours for a much-needed haircut.”
Dave Nicoll, RNLI Fundraising & Partnership Lead, said: “We’re hugely thankful to Neil for his generous donation, on behalf of PoFSA, which will make a huge difference.
“Falmouth is home to one of the busiest lifeboats stations in the South West and it’s thanks to the kindness of others in our community that the crew is able to continue saving lives at sea.”
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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