Burns Night funding boost for Portree RNLI

There was a warm reception and a toast to the public on Saturday 24 January for the well-attended celebration of Robert Burns, with locals and visitors coming together to raise vital funds for Portree RNLI.

With speeches, music and a raffle woven in between a three-course meal, including the must-have haggis, neeps and tatties, the evening concluded with a rendition of the classic Burns song, Auld Lang Syne.

David Beaton, Chairperson of the Portree RNLI fundraising committee, was compare for the evening and said:

‘The annual Portree RNLI Burns Supper is a highlight on the fundraising calendar and to start 2026 with a significant amount of money raised for our local lifeboat station is just brilliant. This follows another recent large donation of £14,650 (split between Portree and Kyle RNLI) raised during a Boxing Day golf tournament organised by local Highland Councillor John Finlayson.

‘2026 is going to be a big year for us at Portree RNLI, with the arrival of a new Shannon class all-weather lifeboat later this year. It is costing £2.78M to build the new lifeboat, excluding the day to day running costs of the service throughout the year along with the essential PPE or equipment required by our volunteers. It is an expensive operation, but we always receive great support from our local community, many of whom are surprised to hear that the RNLI is a charity that relies on donations.’

The Portree RNLI Burns Supper opened with the welcome and Selkirk Grace delivered by David Beaton. The haggis was led into the event by piper Kevin McGillivary, with Cllr John Finlayson delivering the Address to the Haggis.

Following the three-course meal, poetess Katharine Macfarlane spoke about her love of Burns’ work – which first started during her time in primary school - in The Immortal Memory. The room filled with laughter for the Toast to the Lassies by playwright, author and local journalist Daniel Cullen, and the equally entertaining Reply from the Lassies by Suzy Lee, station manager of Radio Skye.

During the evening, there was also a Highland Dancing display by Dannsairean an Eilein Sgitheanaich, Scottish Gaelic versions of Burns’ favourites Ae Fond Kiss and My Luve is like a Red Red Rose sung by local legend and Royal National Mod gold medallist Iain Cormack, and live music from duo Ceitidh Douglas and Angus Gilpin.

David Beaton added:

‘Portree RNLI extends our huge thanks to The Royal Hotel, Portree, for once again hosting the event and delivering a three-course meal that I’m sure Burns himself would have thoroughly enjoyed. We must also thank our sponsors of the event: The Isle of Skye Estate Agency, Loch Duart Salmon and Ferrymill Motors. Without their support, we wouldn’t be able to host a Burns Supper that is as successful as it is.’

Sarah Farr, Director of The Isle of Skye Estate Agency, said:

‘The Isle of Skye Estate Agency, as the trusted property experts in Skye and Lochalsh for over 40 years, is very proud to support Portree RNLI and our local community in being the lead sponsor of the Burns Supper for another year.

‘As a business, we are keen to give back to the communities that we are based within, particularly in support of the lifesaving work of the RNLI charity. It was a brilliant night of entertainment, feasting and music, enjoyed by the many locals and visitors who attended. The Portree RNLI Burns Supper is very much a highlight of our year!’

Portree RNLI, based in the capital of the Isle of Skye, is currently the home of a Trent class lifeboat, Stanley Watson Barker, which has been at the station since 1996. The new Shannon class lifeboat Peter and Mary is due to arrive on Skye later this year, following the official bell-ringing ceremony at the All-Weather Lifeboat Centre in Poole on 27 January and ongoing crew familiarisation training.

The RNLI is the charity that has been saving lives at sea for over two hundred years.

There are over 5,700 volunteer RNLI lifeboat crew members at 238 lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland, with a further 4,000 volunteer shore crew members. Our volunteers are on call and ready to respond to calls for help 24 hrs a day, 365 days of the year.

ENDS

Notes to editors

· All photos in this press release should be credited to Robert MacInnes/Portree RNLI.

· Portree Lifeboat Station was established in 1991 and currently operates a Trent class all-weather lifeboat – Stanley Watson Barker. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/portree-lifeboat-station

· The 2040 Lifeboat Fleet Strategy was published on Thursday 2 October. As part of this, Portree will receive a new Shannon class lifeboat in 2026. The full report and summary is available here: (https://rnli.org/news-and-media/2025/october/02/rnli-evolving-to-meet-lifesaving-demand#:~:text=Our%202040%20Lifeboat%20Fleet%20Strategy,information%20to%20make%20these%20decisions.&text='We%20need%20to%20have%20confidence,changing%20nature%20of%20lifesaving%20demand).

RNLI media contacts

For further information, please contact:

Robert MacInnes, Lifeboat Press Officer at Portree RNLI: 07950 421829 / [email protected]

Richard Smith, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland: 07826 900639 / [email protected]

Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Scotland: 07920 365929 / [email protected]

RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789, [email protected]

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.

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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.