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Tobermory celebrates RNLI 200 in style with music, film, drama - and a ‘shout’

Lifeboats News Release

Tobermory RNLI celebrated the RNLI’s bicentenary in style over the weekend of 24-26 May 2024 raising nearly £1,600 with a programme of music, film and drama as well as a ‘shout’ for the station’s volunteer crew.

Natural Voices present cheque for £1,114.55 to Tobermory RNLI

RNLI/Tobermory

Natural Voices present cheque for £1,114.55 to Tobermory RNLI

The weekend opened with two performances of 'World Beyond Man' a play written by Stephanie Dale and performed by the Tobermory Troubadours at the Western Isles Hotel on the Friday evening. The play told the extraordinary true story of navigator Valerian Albanov’s 235 mile journey across the arctic ice in search of rescue after his ship became trapped in ice.

Saturday saw local choir Natural Voices 'singing to save lives at sea' with a nautically themed concert at Mull Theatre. As well as singing sea shanties and other songs against a backdrop of photos and video of Tobermory RNLI volunteers and the lifeboat down the years, Natural Voices were joined by several friends. Talented guitarist Connor Weir opened the show and the Mull Children’s Gaelic Choir conducted by Janet Campbell enchanted the audience with a few traditional songs. Then the ukeleles took to the stage with MullUkes, including a song especially written for all of the volunteers at Tobermory lifeboat station. The legendary Wynefride Moir performed a hugely popular accordion set with ‘Westering Home’ and Ros Haywood and Tobermory RNLI’s own Inez Cordeiro brought the house down with a special piano duet of Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture with video of Staffa from Turus Mara playing in the background. The concert raised a staggering £1,114.55.

Moments after the final round of applause, the RNLI pagers sounded as Tobermory RNLI’s volunteer crew were tasked to a report of a DSC Mayday call being activated in Loch Sunart. After carrying out a thorough search with the Coastguard’s search and rescue helicopter, the lifeboat was stood down and the crew returned to Tobermory shortly after 1am.

On Sunday, Tobermory RNLI's somewhat bleary eyed volunteer crew welcomed locals and visitors on board their Severn class all weather lifeboat which was berthed alongside the pontoons at Tobermory Harbour. Visitors included members of the Royal Highland Yacht Club who presented the station with a plaque to mark the RNLI’s bicentenary. The music continued with a small but perfectly formed ensemble, The Cobwebs, performing sea shanties and other tunes on the bow of the lifeboat.

Mull Film Club rounded off the RNLI 200 celebration weekend on the Sunday evening with an evening double-bill of boat-related documentaries. This included a screening of 'Launch! On The Sea With Scotland's Lifeboats' by award-winning curator Shona Thomson, featuring archive footage of Scotland’s RNLI lifeboat crews, including film of the naming ceremony of Tobermory’s first lifeboat in August 1939 and more recent video.

Tobermory RNLI’s Lifeboat Operations Manager, Dr Sam Jones said: ‘Our RNLI 200 celebration weekend grew from just having the lifeboat open to the public on the Sunday to a full programme of music, film and drama which has raised an astounding £1,577.94 and will live long in the memory. We have so many people to thank: Graham and Karina, otherwise known as the Tobermory Troubadours, the Western Isles Hotel, Natural Voices, MullUkes, Connor Weir, Janet Campbell and the Children’s Gaelic Choir, pianists Inez and Ros, the Royal Highland Yacht Club, The Cobwebs, and Nina, Ester and the Mull Film Club. We are also extremely grateful to Mull Theatre and An Tobar for waiving their costs. Our lifeboat can only launch with the generosity of our supporters and the RNLI 200 weekend showed that our crew and lifeboat really are powered by the kindness of our community here on Mull’.

RNLI media contacts

Dr Sam Jones, Tobermory RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager/Lifeboat Press Officer, 07747601900, [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

Natural Voices present cheque for £1,114.55 to Tobermory RNLI

RNLI/Tobermory

Natural Voices present cheque for £1,114.55 to Tobermory RNLI
Natural Voices concert for RNLI 200 weekend at Mull Theatre, Tobermory

RNLI/David McHaffie

Natural Voices concert for RNLI 200 weekend at Mull Theatre, Tobermory
Royal Highland Yacht Club Commodore presenting RNLI 200 plaque to Coxswain David McHaffie

RNLI/Sam Jones

Royal Highland Yacht Club Commodore presenting RNLI 200 plaque to Coxswain David McHaffie
Stormy Stan and MullUkes

RNLI/David McHaffie

Stormy Stan and MullUkes
Screening of 'Launch! On the Sea with Scotland's Lifeboats' as part of the RNLI 200 Weekend

RNLI/Mull Film Club

Screening of 'Launch! On the Sea with Scotland's Lifeboats' as part of the RNLI 200 Weekend

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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