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Lifeboat enthusiast builds working model of Fowey’s Trent class lifeboat

Lifeboats News Release

When Luke Grace was diagnosed with MS in 2018 and had to give up his job on a farm, he decided to fulfil a dream of his to build model boats to keep busy. This January he completed a working model of Fowey’s all-weather Trent class lifeboat.

Luke Grace

The finished model of Fowey lifeboat

Luke said: ‘I have a passion for boats especially the Trent class and Severn class. It has been a dream of mine to build a model of the Fowey lifeboat, the Maurice and Joyce Hardy, so I started to build her about a year and a half ago.’

Luke continues: ‘I did a bit of model building before but not to this degree. I have been building model boats now since 2018’.

Luke grew up in Tywardreath and went to Fowey school where he used to love going down to the harbour to look at the lifeboat. He finally finished the model this January and said: ‘I’m hoping to raise money for the RNLI with the model by taking it to events and doing some fundraising when I’m not building model boats. I’m hoping to build the Severn class from Falmouth next, but it costs a lot of money to build these models, so I’ve got to start saving!’

Visitors will be able to see Luke’s model this August, when it will be part of a display at the Fowey RNLI Lifeboat Exhibition, which will run from August 1 – 4 in Fowey Town Hall.

Luke Grace

Luke Grace

Luke Grace

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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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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