Peel's new Shannon class RNLI lifeboat is officially dedicated
With the lifeboat station as a backdrop, the lifeboat was named Frank and Brenda Winter during Saturday's ceremony held in glorious sunshine.
Stuart Blackley, Chairman of Peel Lifeboat Management Group, welcomed guests, who included Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer and Lady Lorimer.
Stuart introduced the Reverend David Palmer and Tim Palmer. They spoke warmly of their friends Frank and Brenda Winter whose generous legacy has funded the Shannon Class lifeboat bearing their names. Frank had spent nearly 20 years planning to fund a lifeboat but sadly both Frank and Brenda have passed away and were never able to see the results of their generosity.
The Palmers handed the lifeboat to the care of the RNLI which was accepted into the fleet by RNLI Trustee Paddy McLaughlin. He expressed his pride in the dedication and sacrifice of Peel’s volunteers, noting that the RNLI and its volunteers could not fulfil their mission of saving lives at sea without the generosity of donors such as Frank and Brenda. Paddy then handed the lifeboat into the care of Peel Lifeboat station, with Lifeboat Operations Manager Allen Corlett accepting.
Allen was delighted that the ‘longest roll-out’ in RNLI history had come to an end, outlining for the audience the many delays, most caused by the impact of the pandemic on vital training, that meant Frank and Brenda Winter entered service on 21 October 2021, some 584 days after first arriving in the Isle of Man.
Allen said:
‘As Lifeboat Operations Manager I am sure I speak for us all, at Peel lifeboat station, when I say that this is a very proud day and we are extremely grateful for the generosity of Frank and Brenda Winter in funding this lifeboat. We now have the latest and finest rescue equipment available to us and we know she will help to keep our crew safe.’
A moving service of dedication was led by The Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, The Rt Rev Peter Eagles with Reverend Palmer providing a reading. As the service concluded The Lord Bishop offed a blessing to the boat and all who might sail in her in Manx.
Allen Corlett invited David Eames, the first coxswain of Peel’s previous all weather lifeboat Ruby Clery, to formally name the lifeboat and complete the ceremony by pouring Fynoderee Manx ‘Winter’ Gin over her bow – a subtle nod to the name of our benefactors.
Chairman Stuart Blackley thanked colleagues in the RNLI, Peel’s dedicated volunteers and all the supporters who helped to make the day a glorious celebration.
He then cleared the way for the shore crew, with its impressive Shannon Launch and Recovery rig, to launch the lifeboat with a volunteer crew of six for a demonstration of its operational capabilities. Guests and members of the public watching from Peel breakwater were treated to an awesome display of the Shannon class lifeboat’s speed and jet-drive manoeuvrability.
Ends
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For more information please contact Carol Hunter MCIPR, RNLI Peel Lifeboat Press Officer on 07624461213 or [email protected]
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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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