
Hoylake RNLI welcomes new Wirral West MP on visit to lifeboat station
Hoylake RNLI lifeboat station welcomed Matthew Patrick MP on Thursday 29 August as the newly-elected Member of Parliament for Wirral West visits a range of community organisations in his constituency.
Matthew met Hoylake RNLI Coxswain Howie Owen (pictured) and some of the station’s volunteers, before having a tour around the lifeboat station from Lifeboat Visits Officer Brian Jordan.
Matthew heard about Hoylake’s long lifesaving history from 1803 to the present day, taking in the station’s memorial to the 1810 disaster in which eight Hoylake crew lost their lives. He was shown the numerous certificates recognising the bravery of crews over two centuries and photographs of the station’s historic boats and volunteers.
As part of the tour, Matthew was also able to see up close Hoylake RNLI’s modern all-weather Shannon class lifeboat, launch and recovery system, and Inshore Rescue Hovercraft, as well as the station facilities and crew kit.
The station’s volunteers talked to Matthew about some of their recent rescues and how the changing seasons can bring different challenging incidents. As the charity that saves lives a sea, Matthew also heard how the local community supports the RNLI through generous donations at fundraising events throughout the year.
Matthew said: ‘The RNLI is a huge part of the Wirral community, so it was a real privilege to be able to visit the Hoylake station on Thursday. I was thrilled to meet staff and volunteers to hear about their lifesaving work, and to be able to celebrate the centuries-long history of service they're a part of.'
Coxswain Howie Owen said: ‘It was great to welcome Matthew to Hoylake RNLI as our new local MP and we appreciate him taking the time to hear about the commitment of our lifesaving volunteers, past and present. We’ve been fortunate to have support from our Members of Parliament over the years and look forward to welcoming Matthew back to the lifeboat station in the future for some of our community events.’
RNLI media contacts
For more information, please contact:
Dan Whiteley, Hoylake RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer on 07799 851 316 or email [email protected]
Claire Devine, Hoylake RNLI Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer 07734 817 068 or email [email protected]
RNLI Press Office 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 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.