
New Quay RNLI crew set off on passage to bring new lifeboat home
Five RNLI crew members from New Quay have left the Poole Support Centre in Dorset this afternoon onboard their brand new £2.5M Shannon class lifeboat. The crew will begin an intense passage calling at Brixham, Newlyn, Dunmore East and Pwllheli before arriving in New Quay on Sunday 25 June.
It is a realisation of a dream for the RNLI crew at New Quay and the local community who have been hard at work fundraising to raise more than £100,000 towards crew training and transportation costs for the Shannon.
The state-of-the-art lifeboat Roy Barker V will receive a welcome on her return home, with a party on the quayside and a flotilla of local boats. Aberystwyth and Cardigan RNLI lifeboats will launch to meet her in the bay.
New Quay’s RNLI Coxswain had the important role of bringing the Shannon home. Leaving Poole was a momentous occasion for Dan Potter, who has been an operational volunteer on three different classes of lifeboat – the Oakley class lifeboat – the Mersey and now the Shannon.
He says:
‘We are thoroughly looking forward to this passage and getting fully acquainted with this modern new lifeboat. It’s going to be a long few days, but something we are all thrilled to have been chosen to be part of.
‘Bringing the lifeboat home to New Quay is a real honour and something we’re all looking forward to.’
Notes to Editors
More images of the lifeboat leaving are available here:
https://source.rnli.org.uk/share/94AD8B6B-76E2-48FA-87599C0E123D74F7/
The media are invited to witness the new lifeboat returning home to Ceredigion on Sunday 25 June. A host of events are planned throughout the day including: .
· 12.30-1pm A flotilla of local boats including Aberystwyth RNLI and Cardigan RNLI lifeboats will take to the water to meet the new lifeboat
· 1.48pm The arrival of New Quay RNLI’s new Shannon class all-weather lifeboat, the Roy Barker V into New Quay harbour
Bilingual interviews are available on request. Please contact Lifeboat Press Officer Kate Williams on 07786 550054.
Please note the RNLI will provide broadcast quality footage of the arrival by Monday 26 June. Please register your request to receive this by contacting Danielle Rush on the numbers below.
For more information, please contact New Quay Lifeboat Press Officer Kate Williams on 07786 550054 or Danielle Rush, RNLI Media Relations Manager in Wales, the North West and Isle of Man on 07886 668829. Alternatively, please call the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336 789 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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