Hoylake and West Kirby RNLI announce new Fundraising Chair

Carron Jones will be taking on the vital role as Chair of the local RNLI Fundraising Branch, which coordinates and runs charitable collections, souvenir sales, events, donation boxes and a range of other fundraising activity.

Carron has served on the Hoylake and West Kirby RNLI Fundraising Committee for over 10 years in a range of roles and will be a familiar face to supermarket customers across the Wirral, championing RNLI bucket collections outside a number of local stores.

As the mother of serving RNLI lifeboat crew members at both Hoylake and West Kirby RNLI, Carron knows all too well how fundraising is essential to supporting lifeboat rescues and keeping RNLI crews kitted, trained and safe. Her eldest son Harry is the Senior Station Technician at Hoylake RNLI and her youngest son Will is an inshore lifeboat crew member at West Kirby RNLI.

As the charity that saves lives at sea, the RNLI relies on donations from the public to run its maritime search and rescue and beach lifeguard service. It cost £190.3 million in 2024 to run the RNLI, and Carron’s efforts will ensure that Hoylake and West Kirby RNLI can help to achieve this fundraising goal, supported by the dedication of fundraisers at both stations and the generosity of supporters in the local community and beyond.

Carron takes over as Fundraising Chair from Carole Jackson BEM, who leaves the role after over 50 years of volunteering as a fundraiser with the RNLI and in the wider community. She had been the driving force behind the Hoylake and West Kirby Lifeboat Open Day, a popular fixture in the Wirral calendar that regularly attracted thousands of visitors from across the country and raised tens of thousands of pounds each year.

Carole was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the New Year’s Honours 2020 in recognition of her fundraising efforts. Under her leadership, the branch had raised over £430,000 at the time.

Carron Jones said: ‘I am delighted to be offered and to accept to role of Fundraising Chair for our stations at Hoylake and West Kirby. Carole Jackson originally invited me onto the committee 10 years ago, I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the fantastic contribution she has made to the stations over her many years of service. Moving forward, I like to say we have wonderful team of people, with an amazing range of fundraising and engagement talents. We also have two brilliant lifeboat stations with great crews and I look forward to working together with everyone.’

John Curry, Chairman of the Hoylake and West Kirby RNLI Management Group, said: ‘Hoylake and West Kirby Lifeboat Stations are delighted to announce the appointment of Carron Jones to the position of Fundraising Chair. The position is vital for the important continuation of fundraising for the voluntary operation of the lifeboat stations and their vital role in saving lives at sea. Carron has a long association with the RNLI and has a son operational in each of the two stations. We wish her well in her new role.’

Key facts about the RNLI

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.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, TikTok 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.