Fabulous festive fundraising at New Brighton RNLI
The holiday period saw a number of excellent fundraising endeavours carried out by New Brighton’s local community, in aid of their volunteer lifeboat crew.
At a time when most of us are settling in with family and friends for some festive good cheer and relaxation, community groups in New Brighton were rallying to raise some vital funds to support New Brighton RNLI in their continued efforts to save lives at sea.
The traditional New Year’s Day tug of war competition took place between volunteer crew from New Brighton RNLI and saw them face off once again against their friends and supporters at Mersey Divers Sub Aqua Club – Branch 5. The Lord Mayor was in attendance and got the contest started.
The Bob Grant Memorial Trophy, named for New Brighton’s much-missed late treasurer who helped establish the tug of war tradition, was retained once more by the lifeboat crew, after a hard fought but good-spirited match.
The turnout on the day to support the match was fantastic as always, and generous donations from the public raised over £1000 for New Brighton’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat’s continued 24/7/365 readiness for service on the River Mersey.
After the contest, local cold-water swimming, dipping and kite surfing groups took the plunge the beaches of New Brighton, another New Year’s Day tradition aimed at raising funds for the local RNLI crew. This was organised through Redcappers Coastal Adventurers, who invited all the local sea dipping and swimming communities to take part. Members from the Happy Chilly Dippers, Bluetits, and Wirral Sea Swimming Community all braved the cold.
Away from the beach, the Redcappers also tackled the tricky terrain of the affectionately named ‘The Munros’ in Wallasey, also raising vital funds for New Brighton RNLI. The route was named in tongue-in-cheek fashion after the Scottish Munro’s, a notoriously difficult route. The Wallasey equivalent takes in every hill in New Brighton, covering 13 miles and over 2,300ft of ascent. The group began running this route during Covid lockdown, as a way of continuing socially distanced exercise, and have been doing it ever since.
The Munros run raised over £700. A further £1000+ was raised on the beaches on New Year’s day, totaling an astonishing £1700+ raised for New Brighton RNLI.
In another excellent showing of support, N&C Jet Ski of Virginia Road in New Brighton have also been raising funds for their local crew, with a day on the river for the local jet ski community on Sunday 7 January. This event was supported by the lifeboat and crew at New Brighton RNLI, on exercise on the day.
Mike Stannard, helm at New Brighton RNLI, said:
‘The continued efforts of our incredible local community to support and raise funds for the station serves as a wonderful reminder of how valued the lifeboat and its crew are to the people of New Brighton. Without their support, our crucial work saving lives at sea simply would not be possible. We cannot thank them enough!’
Notes to Editors:
New Brighton RNLI was established in 1863 in the bustling seaside resort of New Brighton, on the northeast corner of the Wirral peninsula. They cover the River Mersey and out into the Irish Sea.
The station is home to a B class Atlantic 85 lifeboat, one of the fastest in the RNLI fleet. The crews at New Brighton have been presented with a remarkable 48 awards for gallantry to date.
Connor Wray – Lifeboat Press Officer (LPO)
07756553092
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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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
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