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Long time Fraserburgh RNLI supporter decides to raise funds for 90th birthday

Lifeboats News Release

A long time Fraserburgh RNLI supporter George Pirie decided to raise funds for the lifeboat as his 90th birthday approached.

Fraserburgh RNLI

Cheque presentation at Fraserburgh RNLI

When 90 year old George Pirie said he’d like to organise a fundraising bowling match for Fraserburgh RNLI lifeboat his friends at the Fraserburgh West End Bowling Club gave him every encouragement and were all too eager to help out.

Retired baker George, who is a life member of the bowling club explained that when you say its for the lifeboat everyone recognises that’s it’s a very good cause and people are all too ready and willing to help.

Along with West End Bowling Club president Zander Crawford and Treasurer Lesley Duthie, George came along to the station and presented Fraserburgh RNLI full-time Coxswain Mechanic Vic Sutherland with a cheque for over £2,000.

‘We can’t thank George enough for doing this, and thanks to all the people who helped him and came to the bowling match on the day to support us, it really was a great day and everyone enjoyed themselves’ said Vic.

George was full of praise for all the support he got from fellow bowlers and sponsors for the match which was held a few weeks earlier on Saturday 3 August 2024.

‘It was coming up to my 90th Birthday, and I thought to myself I’m not going to do anything for myself but what I’m going to do is something for the lifeboat, which I have done for the last 15 or 16 years and I wanted to do something special, but I couldn’t have done it without the West End Bowling club’ said George.

‘There’s no way I could do this myself. Lorna at the club was very enthusiastic, she was the spark you may say.

'Leslie was the first one I spoke to, she and her husband were a great help and being the lifeboat she was obviously full of enthusiasm about it, and then we got the support of Zander, and the whole club.

'And I thought this is going to go ahead all right

'I was delighted that I was able at my time in life to have the enthusiasm’

George raised £1300 through personal connections he’d made direct contact with and said that his own son had helped him greatly and said that he was amazed at the generosity of some people.

‘The bowling match took place on Saturday 3 August and the Fraserburgh West End Bowling Club did a tremendous amount of work on it, its quite a big job, handling everything and making sure everybody gets food and that, and we were overwhelmed by all the donations of food we received. The lifeboat is a great cause.

Lorna and Wilma went round businesses and got a lot of prizes for raffles. They did very well and was a great success on the day.

Bowling teams from Rosehearty, Peterhead, and Strichen all represented the lifeboat side and played against a team from the West End.

‘It was a great day, it was basically a day of fun and everyone enjoyed themselves the weather made it brilliant as well’ said West End president Zander Crawford who has his own family connection with the RNLI, Zander’s grandfather John Crawford was lost in the 1953 Fraserburgh Lifeboat disaster.

‘A lot of people who came to support us had no contact with the lifeboat either but see it as an absolutely excellent cause, you couldn’t get a better cause’ said George ‘The work that Victor and his boys do is fantastic. There’s no hesitation when you mention the lifeboat, there was not one person who said no.’

George made a point of mentioning the part played by young Lucy Sutherland, Vic’s daughter the young piper who piped all the bowlers on to the green at the start of the match on to the green.

‘Lucy got a fantastic day off to a fantastic start, She really is a great piper.

‘George has been a great Fraserburgh Lifeboat supporter for years and has raised thousands of pounds for our cause’ said Vic, ‘Before Covid, George used to organise visits to the lifeboat by members of the master bakers association and the response was unbelievable and other people came to support the lifeboat for years after these visits.’

Everyone at Fraserburgh RNLI Lifeboat Station is very appreciative and grateful for all the funds that George has raised for us over the years, and everything has gone to helping us save lives, it doesn’t get any better than that! He really is special’

Notes to editors

Fraserburgh lifeboat station has been operating since 1858. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/fraserburgh-lifeboat-station

RNLI media contacts

Stephen Hadden, Lifeboat Press Officer, [email protected]

Billy Watson, Lifeboat Press Officer, [email protected]

Stuart Fenty, Lifeboat Press Officer, [email protected]

Natasha Bennett, RNLI Regional Media Officer for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]

Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Media Manager for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]

RNLI Press Office, 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, 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.

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