A new fundraising event hosted by Hoylake and West Kirby RNLI has raised over £5,500 thanks to the generosity of the Wirral lifeboat stations’ local community and supporters.
The inaugural ‘Meet and Greet Day’ on Saturday 3 September gave the public a chance to step aboard the lifesaving charity’s lifeboats and launch vehicles, including Hoylake’s Shannon class lifeboat and hovercraft and West Kirby’s D class IB1 lifeboat.
The volunteer RNLI crews spoke to hundreds of visitors about their lifesaving work around the Merseyside coast and shared important advice about staying safe on and around the water.
The Wirral Coastguard Rescue Team also joined the event, displaying their rescue vehicles and equipment and showing how RNLI lifeboat crews and the coastguard work together to save lives.
The incredible total raised came from generous donations from the public, as well as sales of RNLI souvenirs and refreshments. Local volunteers also ran a tombola and a competition where entrants guessed the number of balloons filling a classic Volkswagen Beetle.
Hoylake RNLI Coxswain Howie Owen said, “We can’t thank everyone enough for coming along to our Meet and Greet Day and supporting Hoylake and West Kirby lifeboat stations. There was a great community atmosphere and it was fantastic to see so many people stepping aboard our RNLI rescue craft and learning about our lifesaving work.
“We’re blown away about the amazing total raised, which is vital for funding our 24-hour search and rescue service. Thank you to everyone who donated and to all the volunteers who collected, ran stalls, and made the event such a success.”
In 2021, RNLI lifeboats in the UK and Ireland launched 8,868 times, helping 12,903 people and saving 296 lives. But as a charity, the RNLI is reliant on voluntary donations to power its lifesaving work, which last year cost a total of £159.6 million.
Image: Siân Holmes
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