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The Sunflower Woods raises £6,135 for Kilkeel RNLI in 30 days

Lifeboats News Release

The Sunflower Woods created by the Woods family on the family farm to cheer people up during Covid has raised £6,135 for Kilkeel RNLI.

Woods Family

The family planted 416,000 sunflower seeds together with two million wildflower seeds and then on flowering, opened their gates to share with everyone. It was decided not to charge for admission but to put a charity barrel in place with the donations to be divided between three charities.

In a total of 30 days, a grand total of over £18,000 was collected from visitors from all over Northern Ireland and on Friday 22 October, the Woods ladies were invited to Kilkeel RNLI to present their cheque for £6,135 to President Mr Merwyn Hanna, M.B.E.

Speaking at the station, John Fisher, Kilkeel RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said: ‘The ladies in raising that amazing amount of money brought the community together in a unique way and raised their spirits by putting some joy into their lives. Well done, an amazing achievement in 30 days with such a beautiful special idea.'

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Irwyn McKibben

RNLI/Leslie Campbell

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.

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