£2m lifeboat appeal fund gets £300,000 kick-start

Sep 19 2007 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

Hoylake Lifeboat makes it's way out over the sand _320

HOYLAKE’S Royal National Lifeboat Institute appeal got off to an impressive start last night as it emerged around £300,000 has already been raised.

The two-year £2m appeal is for the construction of a new lifeboat station to replace the existing facility which is more than 100 years old.

Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside Dame Lorna Muirhead DBE told the guests at the official launch of the appeal at Hoylake Sailing Club that the money will also help pay for a new modern lifeboat to help the RNLI volunteers who regularly put their lives at risk to rescue others.

Dame Lorna admitted she was “new to things maritime” but praised the Hoylake crew as “kind, caring, skilled and brave”.

She s aid: “It’s our aim, goal and duty, I think, to provide them with what they need in the 21st century and hope we never need them to rescue us.”

The appeal will raise part of the £5 million-plus costs of replacing the existing lifeboat station which was built in 1899 but is too small and cannot be further extended to house the latest generation of lifeboat.

The lifeboat station has been a key feature on the promenade at Hoylake for more than 200 years, saving more than 560 lives, and Hoylake lifeboat serv- ice is older even than the Royal National Lifeboat Institution which runs the service.

Last night, members of the crew and local supporters were joined at the sailing club next to the station on Hoylake Promenade by Dame Lorna, Anthony Hannay, chairman of the appeal, as well as 100 invited guests. Mr Hannay, a RNLI board member, said that over the last 204 years numerous generations of families had volunteered. He posed the question of how to thank them for their bravery, and said the answer was “to build them a future”.

He said: “In the last few months, we have raised over £300,000 towards the total target.”

He appealed to people across Merseyside and beyond to contribute.

John Curry, operations manager for Hoylake lifeboat, said last night’s official launch of the massive fundraising effort was a key date for the historic station, which is one of the oldest in the country.

Mr Curry said: “It’s a day we have been looking forward to here at Hoylake.”

The RNLI is a registered charity that continues to rely on voluntary contribu- tions and legacies for income and receives no UK Government funding for its annual running costs of around £120m a year which pays for the volunteer crews to provide a 24/7 search and rescue service.

The appeal over the next two years will combine community fundraising with requests for support from trusts, the business community and other donors. A glossy calendar has also been produced, with pictures of the crew and their Lady of Hilbre boat in action.

To contribute to the appeal, call 0845 650 3999, log on to www.rnli.org.uk/hoylakeappeal or send a donation to RNLI Hoylake Appeal, Admail 4049, Hoylake, CH47 1AA.