Kilkeel and Newcastle RNLI lifeboats donor makes station visit

Miss Margaret Cameron also funded the Newcastle RNLI D class inshore lifeboat which went on service in October. Meanwhile, Newcastle RNLI’s newest asset, an Atlantic 85, went on service at 9.55am this morning, corresponding with the number on the side of the lifeboat.

It has been a busy period for both lifeboat stations with the volunteer crews undergoing intensive training to prepare themselves for receiving their new assets. It follows a Lifesaving Effect Review carried out by the RNLI into its search and rescue assets on the southeast coast of Northern Ireland earlier this year.

While Newcastle RNLI’s Atlantic 85 and D class lifeboats are now on service, the training and preparation on an all-weather lifeboat will continue at Kilkeel ahead of the Shannon going on service in the new year.

The Shannon will be named Bobby Cameron in memory of Miss Margaret Cameron’s late brother, Robert. As a legacy lifeboat, the Shannon will also carry the names of many other generous supporters who will appear within the letters and numbers that make up the lifeboat’s identifying number. The funds provided by these people have helped to save lives at sea across the UK and Ireland. The D class lifeboat, also kindly supported by Miss Cameron, will be named Cameronian.

Speaking of the visit, Miss Cameron said: ‘I am overwhelmed by seeing the lifeboats that now bear my late brother’s name. I am a huge admirer of the work the RNLI does to save lives at sea and having met the lifeboat crews at Kilkeel and Newcastle, who will be going to sea on their new Shannon and D class lifeboats, I am incredibly proud to have been able to provide these lifesaving gifts. I know my brother would be so touched and I take great comfort in knowing the RNLI will be nearby, saving lives around the coast, day and night.’

Newcastle RNLI’s new Atlantic 85 class lifeboat Berylium, is funded by Beryl and the late Gilbert Williamson.

Beryl and Gilbert’s association with the sea goes back to the 13th Century, when one of their ancestors, Sir Patrick Spens, was ordered by the King to sail to Norway during winter. Although Sir Patrick knew that this was extremely dangerous, he obeyed the King, resulting in him not only losing his own life, but also his crew and his ship. Beryl and Gilbert also lost seven members of family in the Eyemouth Fishing Disaster in 1881 and were involved in opening the first RNLI charity shop, called the Lucky Dip, in Edinburgh in 1967.

All three new lifeboats will be officially named at special ceremonies and services of dedication, next year.

Speaking following the arrival of the lifeboats to both stations, Phillip Johnston, RNLI Area Operations Manager said: ‘This is a wonderful milestone for both stations as we see the Shannon arrive in Kilkeel and the Atlantic 85 and D class lifeboats go on service at Newcastle. Reaching this juncture is testament to the hard work of many people in recent months and I want to thank and commend all the volunteers and their families for their commitment to saving lives at sea. We are entering a new chapter of lifesaving off this part of the County Down coast and we couldn’t do it without the generosity of the donors and legators or without the selfless dedication of our station teams.’

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The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.

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