Queensferry RNLI receive largest donation to date from Taylor Wimpey

In July 2021, Taylor Wimpey East Scotland teamed up with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) to donate £25 for each new home sold and legally completed at their Hawthorn Gardens development in South Queensferry. The total donation from the development is expected to be £9,500. This is part of the housebuilders’ ongoing commitment to working in partnership with local communities.

The fourth and largest to date donation of £1,525 was made to Queensferry RNLI this month, for house sales completed between January and June 2023. An initial donation of £1,075 in December 2021 was followed by a £650 donation in July 2022 and a further £675 in March 2023 which brings the overall total to £3,925 paid so far.

The RNLI is a charity funded entirely by donations, a resolution made almost 200 years ago when the charity was founded in 1824 and still at the heart of the organisation today. Volunteers account for 95% of the RNLI’s people and every member of the team at Queensferry RNLI Lifeboat station is a volunteer.

Every bit of equipment is funded by generous donations, from a pair of gloves right up to the cost of the lifeboat. To fully kit out one inshore lifeboat crew member in full personal protective equipment is over £1,900. This consists of drysuit with boots, thermal suit, lifejacket, helmet and seagoing gloves.

Commenting on the support that they have received, Adele Allan, Queensferry RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer says: 'We are extremely grateful for the support that we continue to receive from Taylor Wimpey East Scotland, and we cannot thank them enough for their latest donation. The funds they have donated to date equate to kitting out two inshore lifeboat crew members in full personal protective equipment such as drysuit, helmet and lifejacket. The money they have and continue to donate will be used locally at Queensferry RNLI Lifeboat Station, allowing us to continue to provide our 24/7 lifesaving service and achieve our overall goal of saving lives at sea.'

Kirsty McGill, Sales and Marketing Director at Taylor Wimpey East Scotland says: 'We are delighted to be able to support our local RNLI Lifeboat Station at Queensferry. Our donation of £3,925 to date reflects our long-term commitment to this very worthy cause that provides a link between the new community that is emerging at Hawthorn Gardens, and the existing community of South Queensferry. Working with the RNLI is a real honour and we are extremely proud to be able to show our support in this way.

'Being able to work with local charities, groups and organisations that surround our developments means a great deal to us, and it’s always lovely to know that we are helping to make a difference to the lives of people in our local communities.'

Queensferry RNLI Lifeboat Station is not the only lifeboat station to benefit from this partnership. Troon RNLI Lifeboat Station have a similar partnership with Taylor Wimpey West Scotland and have received donations totalling £4,875 to date.

ENDS

Notes to editors

· The RNLI is the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

· The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea.

· 95% of the RNLI are volunteers. Queensferry RNLI is entirely operated by volunteers.

· Queensferry RNLI is based at Hawes Pier, South Queensferry, EH30 9TB. The lifeboat station was founded in 1967 and houses an inshore Atlantic 85 B class lifeboat Jimmie Cairncross.

· In 2022 Queensferry lifeboat launched 64 times and saved two lives.

· To learn more about the lifeboat station visit; https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/queensferry-lifeboat-station

Photo Credits

The photographs show Taylor Wimpey representative Holly Allenby, Queensferry RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer Adele Allan and crew members Graham and Grant with the charity’s Atlantic 85 B Class Lifeboat Jimmie Cairncross. Credit: Chris Watt Photography

RNLI media contacts

Adele Allan, Lifeboat Press Officer, Queensferry Lifeboat Station, [email protected]

Julie Dominguez, Lifeboat Press Officer, Queensferry Lifeboat Station, [email protected]

Natasha Bennett, RNLI Regional Media Officer for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]

Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Media Manager for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]

RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789

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.