Guests help raise £32,000 at RNLI anniversary event

Mon, 06 Nov 2023

A black-tie dinner launched a year of celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

Guests helped raise an impressive £32,000 towards the running costs of the Isle of Man’s five lifeboat stations.

During 2022, Island lifeboat crews went to sea on numerous occasions and there were 49 call-outs to those in distress, with five lives saved. There are around 200 volunteers Island-wide and, on average, each of the crew spent 30-40 hours at sea between training and rescues.

Dedicated to saving lives at sea with a 24-hour search and rescue service, the Isle of Man is the birthplace of RNLI which was founded by Sir William Hillary in 1824.

Ever since, the Island – which is also base to the first ever lifeboat station in the British Isles – has had an inextricable link to saving lives at sea.

During the evening, guests heard about the invaluable work of the charity in both Manx waters and further afield, highlighting the level of commitment from a dedicated bunch of volunteers from across the Island.

Gilli Cowley, Chair of Douglas RNLI Lifeboat Guild, said: “The support of guests in both the auction and raffle was beyond generous and, on behalf of the RNLI, I would like to thank everyone who attended.

“As a charity, the RNLI relies on donations to be able to carry out its lifesaving work so a sincere thank you to everyone involved for making the event such a success. Not least, our principal sponsor Ørsted which has a long history of partnership with the RNLI and who we look forward to working with in the years to come.”

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