Donate now

Teignmouth RNLI receive generous donation from yacht captain and crew.

Lifeboats News Release

Volunteers at Teignmouth RNLI recently welcomed Captain Richard Kirkby to the station after receiving a generous donation from his crew, family and yacht owners.

RNLI/Amy Furlong

Volunteer fundraisers and crew recently welcomed Captain Richard Kirkby and guests for a tour around Teignmouth Lifeboat Station, highlighting the work and operational demands of the volunteers at Teignmouth RNLI to help save lives at sea.

Captain Richard Kirkby handed over a generous sum of £2,789 which was raised through donations from his crew sailing onboard luxury motor yacht Mayan Queen. The crew had been building the sum over three years through collecting change and donations when sailing to numerous locations including the Caribbean, Mediterranean and French Polynesian Islands. Over 49 crew members had contributed during this time, with family and friends also donating to the sum the yacht crew had raised, bringing the total close to £3,000 when exchanged.

Captain Kirkby and his crew are no strangers to the perils at sea undertaking a rescue effort of their own accord in 2023 after reports of a vessel in distress. The Mayan Queen and her crew helped to rescue 100 casualties from a boat which had capsized off the coast of Greece. Richard has a family home in Teignmouth and was ‘delighted to be able to assist in raising funds and awareness for the work Teignmouth RNLI volunteers do for the community’.

Volunteer Fundraising Chair, Wendy Richards Wood presented Richard and guests with a certificate of thanks recognising the generosity of the crew members. She thanked Richard for ‘the wonderful donation’ and expressed thanks on behalf of all volunteers at Teignmouth RNLI for the support shown. Lifeboat Operations Manager Andy Lilburn was also present and commented how this ‘contribution will go towards helping volunteers to continue saving lives at sea’.

Andy Teed, volunteer visits officer was on hand to show Captain Kirkby and guests around the boathouse, visiting on one of the volunteer crew training evenings the guests were also able to witness the Atlantic 85 lifeboat Claude and Kath launch on exercise.

Richard thanked everyone for their hospitality, and said how ‘it was great to see the dedication and team spirit of volunteers at the station’, he and his ‘crew have plans to continue with the fundraising efforts and hope to be able to donate again in the future’.

RNLI/Amy Furlong

RNLI/Amy Furlong

RNLI/Amy Furlong

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.

Categories