Port Isaac RNLI volunteers need your help

Port Isaac RNLI lifeboat volunteers are big on the dedication required to save lives at sea. And they’re big on giving back to the local community that they love. There’s one thing about Port Isaac RNLI that isn’t big, however - the facilities. Can you help to give local volunteers the lifeboat station they deserve?

By donating today, you can help Port Isaac RNLI get closer to raising the funds needed to make the station fit for the 21st century. Your kind act would protect the future of lifesaving around Port Isaac. And it would make you a lifesaver too.

RNLI lifesavers moved into their current home in 1994, when the Slipway Hotel’s former garage was converted to house Port Isaac’s lifeboat. Inside, space was always tight. But over the last 30 years, the crew - and the amount of kit they need - has grown. The boathouse has to accommodate both the lifeboat and the tractor that launches and recovers it. And this leaves practically no room left for the crew, let alone changing facilities.

Damien Bolton, Port Isaac Helm, on why an upgrade is long overdue

‘We have way more gear now than when I joined almost 30 years ago. There are 18 crew members now, and there isn’t sufficient storage for all our kit. And because there’s nowhere to dry and air the kit when we get back from a call out, it stays damp, which means we have to send items off for repair every 12-18 months.

The newer type of D class lifeboat we have is heavier, as is the trailer it sits on. It means the tractor is bigger. And trying to move a 1-tonne tractor, plus a trailer, while crew are trying to get changed and briefed isn’t ideal!’

Damien Bolton
Helm, Port Isaac RNLI

The RNLI already owns the cottage - just a few steps from the boathouse - that houses the RNLI shop. The plan is to renovate the upstairs, converting it into a proper crew room. Including the shore crew, there are about 28 Port Isaac volunteers, and the refit means they would finally have a dedicated space for meetings and training, instead of tripping over one another.

The extra space gained by renovating the nearby building will allow the boathouse to be refurbished. Kit will be better ventilated, and the area it’s kept in will be heated. There will be four changing cubicles - one for each crew member going afloat. And, importantly, the crew will be able to keep the lifeboat hitched to the tractor at all times, which means launch and recovery will be swifter and safer. The improvements will result in a lifeboat station better designed for lifesaving, and will secure the legacy of the station for decades to come.

By giving to this appeal, you’ll improve crew welfare and give the volunteers the facilities they deserve, so that they can continue saving lives around Port Isaac.