Kessock RNLI wash 294 cars in charity car wash

Kessock RNLI Lifeboat Station was transformed in a spectacular fashion to enable the crew, fundraisers and extra volunteers the space, and equipment to carry out the task over a staggering 6 hours.

Every volunteer donned their waterproofs, hats and gloves, bearing in mind it was a mild 4 degrees Celsius here at Kessock when it started, and got to work to make sure every car was gleaming.

Dougie Munro, Helm at Kessock, took control of the event, which has been several months in the planning, and was overjoyed with the final outcome.

He said “This year we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of local businesses keen to support us in our mission to raise as much money as possible for the RNLI. A special thanks goes to Macgregors Industrial Supplies for the use of the pressure washers, Kem Distribution for the cleaning products, Morris Leslie Group for donating refreshments and equipment and also Harry Gows, Aldi and Tesco for the food donations to keep our volunteers fed and watered. The crew and volunteers all came together as one, as they always do, to support me and the event and it wouldn’t be possible without them, and all the support from the station management behind the scenes. My biggest thanks of all goes to each and every Car, van and truck that drove through and got cleaned, with many donating a lot more than was requested.“

In total, there was 294 cars, vans and 4x4’s through the door, raising a fantastic £3028 for the charity. Special mention has to go to the local coastguard team who took great pleasure in watching the team wash their vehicle.

The generous visitors posted comments to RNLI Kessock’s Facebook page saying “Fantastic job, Super fast and lots of big smiles“ and “can’t believe I was in and out in about 5 minutes, top job, many thanks to the volunteers.“

Yvette Kershaw, Area Lifesaving Manager for the RNLI, covering the North of Scotland commented: “Our annual car was is always well supported by the local community and is a great opportunity for the crew to meet the public. These donations keep us safely equipped to train all year round and this event is one of our best fundraisers. It was extra special to have the largest amount of cars attending this year, in our 200th anniversary of the RNLI, with our official celebrations starting on Monday 4 March. Again I’d like to pass my thanks to the crews and their families from Kessock, and Loch Ness who assisted this year, and to the army of fundraising crew who came along on the day to keep us all fed and watered.“

Notes to editors

· Kessock lifeboat station has been operating since 1993. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/kessock-lifeboat-station/station-history-kessock

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Shane Warde, Lifeboat Press Officer, [email protected]

Natasha Bennett, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]

Tom McGuire, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland and Ireland, 00353 87 476 4436, [email protected]

Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]

RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789

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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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