Finley Mayne’s 100 mile cycle challenge raises £2,200 for Looe Lifeboat Appeal

Our volunteer crew were training last Wednesday evening when Finley and his family visited the Lifeboat Station to meet our crew and present the cheque.

Finley Mayne, who has just celebrated his tenth birthday, lives in Hereford and being inspired by Captain Tom Moore, he decided he wanted to do something for the Captain Moore 100 challenge. Finley’s uncle Phill lives in Looe and when Finley visits, he loves to watch our RNLI crews launch on their training evenings. When he was in Looe last Easter, Finley found out about the Looe Lifeboat Appeal. This is when he came up with the idea of a sponsored 100 mile cycle ride to raise funds for our new D Class inshore lifeboat Ollie Naismith II.

During the summer months Finley has been cycling up to 13 miles a day around his home town of Hereford, often accompanied by his dad Jonathan and grandad Peter. His sister Honey was going to join the cycle ride challenge, but unfortunately had to sit out the cycling as she suffered a broken ankle.

Last Wednesday, 1 September 2021, Finley and his family visited RNLI Looe Lifeboat Station to meet our crew and present a cheque for the £2,200 he raised through sponsorships. Our crew chatted to Finley and congratulated him on his amazing challenge. Finley explained that he had raised £1,200 through sponsorships which has been matched with £1,000 from his father’s firm Biomech Engineering Services Limited. After showing Finley both inshore lifeboats and launch tractors, and answering many questions from Finley about the lifeboats, the family watched both lifeboats launch for a training exercise.

Ann and Laurie Watson, members of our management committee were also at the station to meet Finley and thank him for this amazing achievement. Everyone at the station who met Finley and Honey said it never ceases to amaze them what our young supporters and “future crew” can achieve. Everyone at Looe Lifeboat Station is so grateful to Finley for this wonderful donation which takes the Looe Lifeboat Appeal over £50,000, which is 64% of our target figure £78,000.

END

Notes to editors

Photos:

· Finley Mayne presenting a cheque for £2,200 to Looe RNLI volunteer crew
Left to right – Jack Spree, Victoria Thomas, Jennifer Crew, David Mitchell, Chris Lewis, Finley Mayne, Nick Pope, Clive Palfrey and Rich Jones
Photo credit RNLI / Ian Foster

· Ann Watson with Finley’s family and Looe RNLI volunteer crew

Left to right front row– Ann Watson, Looe RNLI management committee chair, Jean Mayne, Peter Mayne, Finley Mayne, Jonathan Mayne and Honey Mayne
Photo credit RNLI / Ian Foster

· Finley Mayne at Looe Lifeboat Station
Photo credit RNLI / Ian Foster

Information

· Re-established as an inshore lifeboat station in 1992, Looe RNLI operate two inshore lifeboats
An Atlantic 85 Sheila and Dennis Tongue II and a D Class Ollie Naismith

· Looe RNLI have launched the Looe Lifeboat Appeal – Ollie Naismith II to raise £78,000 for a replacement D Class inshore lifeboat Ollie Naismith II
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/looe-lifeboat-appeal

· For further information on Looe RNLI Lifeboats please visit our website www.looelifeboats.co.uk

· Looe RNLI Facebook page www.facebook.com/LooeRNLI

RNLI media contacts

For more information please telephone

Ian Foster, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for Looe Lifeboat Station, on 07902 753228 or [email protected] or [email protected]

or Amy Caldwell, RNLI Regional Media Manager, on 07920 818807 or [email protected]

or Emma Haines, RNLI Regional Media Officer, on 07786 668847 or [email protected]

Alternatively you can contact the RNLI Duty Press Officer on 01202 336789

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.