Hoylake and West Kirby RNLI event raises over £5,500 for lifesaving charity

The inaugural ‘Meet and Greet Day’ on Saturday 3 September gave the public a chance to step aboard the lifesaving charity’s lifeboats and launch vehicles, including Hoylake’s Shannon class lifeboat and hovercraft and West Kirby’s D class IB1 lifeboat.

The volunteer RNLI crews spoke to hundreds of visitors about their lifesaving work around the Merseyside coast and shared important advice about staying safe on and around the water.

The Wirral Coastguard Rescue Team also joined the event, displaying their rescue vehicles and equipment and showing how RNLI lifeboat crews and the coastguard work together to save lives.

The incredible total raised came from generous donations from the public, as well as sales of RNLI souvenirs and refreshments. Local volunteers also ran a tombola and a competition where entrants guessed the number of balloons filling a classic Volkswagen Beetle.

Hoylake RNLI Coxswain Howie Owen said: ‘We can’t thank everyone enough for coming along to our Meet and Greet Day and supporting Hoylake and West Kirby lifeboat stations. There was a great community atmosphere and it was fantastic to see so many people stepping aboard our RNLI rescue craft and learning about our lifesaving work.’

‘We’re blown away about the amazing total raised, which is vital for funding our 24-hour search and rescue service. Thank you to everyone who donated and to all the volunteers who collected, ran stalls, and made the event such a success.’

In 2021, RNLI lifeboats in the UK and Ireland launched 8,868 times, helping 12,903 people and saving 296 lives. But as a charity, the RNLI is reliant on voluntary donations to power its lifesaving work, which last year cost a total of £159.6 million.

Notes to editors

Hoylake Lifeboat Station was founded in 1803 and is one of the oldest lifeboat stations in the UK. It operates the Shannon class all-weather lifeboat Edmund Hawthorn Micklewood and Inshore Rescue Hovercraft Hurley Spirit.

West Kirby Lifeboat station was founded in 1966 and operates the inshore IB1 lifeboat Seahorse. It is the only lifeboat station in the RNLI to operate the Hagglund BV206 all-terrain launch vehicle.

Hoylake and West Kirby RNLI’s long-running Lifeboat Open Day has traditionally been held on the late August Bank Holiday on Hoylake Promenade. It was postponed in recent years due to lockdown restrictions on large public events following the COVID-19 pandemic.

RNLI media contacts

For more information, please contact:

Dan Whiteley, Hoylake RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer on 07799 851 316 or email [email protected]

Claire Elshaw, RNLI Regional Media Officer on 07468 353 082 or email [email protected]

RNLI Public Relations 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 142,700 lives.

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For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter 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.