Angling competition raises money for Falmouth RNLI
The annual Falmouth Bay Blue Shark Competition, held over two days in early September, has once again raised money for the charity.
The event raised a total of £1750 and this was recently handed over to Falmouth RNLI Coxswain Jonathon Blakeston, Deputy Second Coxswain Elliot Holman and Afloat Mechanic Andrew Edwards at Falmouth Lifeboat Station by competition organisers and local skippers Andy Howell and John Locker.
The annual competition has become a popular event and this year saw a good turnout of small boats from across the country. Despite challenging conditions on the second day, a total of 222 blue sharks were caught which was a competition record. All the sharks were released back into the sea after being measured and recorded. Many of the sharks were tagged as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s cooperative shark tagging program.
On receiving the money, Falmouth RNLI Coxswain Jonathon Blakeston said: ‘We are extremely grateful to Andy and John for their continued support, their donation will go towards helping our volunteer lifeboat crews save lives at sea.’
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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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