Prestigious title Freedom of the Town awarded to Rhyl RNLI volunteer

Last week the Mayor of Rhyl, Councillor Diane King, visited Mrs Frost at her home to officially present her with a certificate and the prestigious title of Honorary Freewoman of Rhyl. Mrs Frost is only the third person ever to be presented with the prestigious title from the Town’s Council.

Jean Frost, 91, is a familiar face to many of Rhyl RNLI’s supporters. Mrs Frost started volunteering for the RNLI in the 1960 and has dedicated 54 years to raising funds for the charity. Up until the pandemic, Mrs Frost was a familiar face at the station’s RNLI Shop and was the volunteer Shop Manager until her retirement earlier this year.

Rhyl Town Council decided to bestow the honour upon Mrs Frost to thank her for tireless work and dedication to RNLI fundraising.

Her involvement with the RNLI started in the 1960s when she discovered her son, Paul, was skipping church to help at the town’s lifeboat station. Paul joined the lifeboat station as a crew member in 1968 before becoming a volunteer Coxswain in 2019 – and Mrs Frost has been there to support her son and all the volunteer crew every step of the way.

During her 54 years of volunteering, Mrs Frost has been President of the Rhyl and District Lifeboat Fundraisers, used her arts and crafts skills to make soft toys and ornaments which were sold to raise funds and took over as the town’s RNLI Volunteer Shop Manager in the 1990s.

Martin Jones, Coxswain of Rhyl RNLI Lifeboat said: ‘On behalf of all the crew and volunteers at Rhyl lifeboat station, I’d like to pass on our sincere congratulations to Jean. Jean has always been a great supporter of the station – standing out in all weather to help fundraise as well as ensuring the doors of Rhyl RNLI Shop were always open. This significant award is well deserved, and we wish her well in her retirement.'

Notes to Editor

Photo: Jean Frost, Rhyl RNLI volunteer. Credit: Nigel Millard.

RNLI media contact

For more information contact Paul Frost, Rhyl RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 07894 105165 or Eleri Roberts, RNLI Regional Media Officer on 07771 941390 / [email protected]. Alternatively contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789 or email [email protected].

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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