Newcastle RNLI to celebrate 200 years of saving lives at sea
Newcastle RNLI will celebrate 200 years of saving lives at sea this year. And to help the volunteer team shape their itinerary of planned events, they are looking for some help.
As the lifeboat station has been a part of the lives of so many in the Newcastle area, the 200th organising committee want to hear people’s stories, see their photos and share their memories. They are particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have been rescued by the lifeboat crew over the years.
A lifeboat station was established in 1825 at Rossglass under the auspices of the County Down District Association of the Institution. The lifeboat was moved to St John’s Point Coastguard Station where it remained until 1843. There was no lifeboat then in Dundrum Bay until the RNLI placed one at Newcastle in 1856 following numerous wrecks. The Earl of Annesley MP paid for the boathouse.
Nathan Leneghan, Newcastle RNLI 200 committee member said: ‘There is such a rich history of saving lives at sea in Newcastle that we would love to hear from people who can reminisce and share their own nostalgic moments from the last 200 years.
‘We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who has been rescued by our volunteer crew. We would also ask that anyone with old photos or memorabilia relating to Newcastle RNLI gets in touch as we would really like to incorporate these into our celebrations.’
Anyone can get in touch by contacting [email protected] or sending a private message to the station Facebook pageKey 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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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.