Beer Festival organisers make generous donation to Sunderland RNLI

Volunteers of the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) local branch visited Sunderland Lifeboat Station on Sunday 16 February to hand over the generous donation which was raised at their annual Sunderland Beer and Cider Festival event which is held every year in the City.

The cheque was presented to lifeboat volunteers by CAMRA Branch Secretary Lynn Dobson who said that they had decided to make Sunderland RNLI their nominated charity. The funds raised were made up from general donations and returned beer tokens from the 2019 Festival.

A further £21.09 was donated to the lifeboat station from a collection box at the Mid Boldon Club, East Boldon.

Ken Paul, Branch Magazine Editor and Pubs Officer for CAMRA said: ‘For the fourth year the Sunderland and South Tyneside Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale supported Sunderland RNLI with a donation.’

James Jamieson, Lifeboat Operations Manager for Sunderland RNLI said ‘We are very grateful to CAMRA for nominating us at their chosen charity for the last four years and for the support they have given us, and also to members of the public who attended the Sunderland Beer and Cider Festival for the donations they made at the event.’

In 2019 Sunderland RNLI’s volunteers launched the lifeboats on service 91 times, saving three lives.

Notes to editors

• Sunderland RNLI Lifeboat Station is the oldest continually operational lifeboat in the United Kingdom. It was originally opened in 1800 before being adopted by the RNLI in 1865.

• Sunderland RNLI Lifeboat Station has a profile on Twitter (SunderlandRNLI) and Facebook (RNLI Sunderland) where supporters can keep up to date with station specific activities and news.

• Sunderland RNLI Lifeboat Station operates two inshore type lifeboats: An Atlantic 85 8.3m inflatable capable of 35 knots and a D Class (IB-1) 4.5m inflatable capable of 25 knots.

RNLI media contacts

For more information please telephone:

Paul Nicholson, Sunderland RNLI Press Officer on 07957 494 077 or email - [email protected] or

Andy McGill, Sunderland RNLI Press Officer (Deputy) on 07980 089 622 or email - [email protected]

As an alternative please contact the RNLI Press Office on: 01202 336000.

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 142,700 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.