A recent open day for Hoylake and West Kirby RNLI raised more than £5,000 to help continue saving lives at sea.
Volunteer crew members and fundraisers were joined by colleagues from Wirral Coastguard Rescue Team and British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) on 13 July, as they welcomed members of the public to see their lifesaving kit and equipment.
Visitors were invited to explore the station as well as Hoylake’s Shannon class all-weather lifeboat Edmund Hawthorn Micklewood and inshore Hovercraft Hurley Spirit.
West Kirby RNLI brought along their D class inshore lifeboat Leonard Pownall for guests to have a look around, as well as their Hagglund BV206 all-terrain launch vehicle, which it is the only such vehicle on station in the whole of the RNLI fleet!
Homemade cakes were for sale alongside RNLI gifts and plenty of games, as visitors tried on RNLI kit and threw wet sponges at willing crew members in a bid to raise funds for the station.
More than £5,125 was raised during the event through sales and collections and every penny will go towards supporting Hoylake and West Kirby RNLI’s lifesaving work.
Crew members were on hand to explain about the work of the RNLI and what equipment they use, as well as sharing key water safety information and skills ahead of the summer holidays.
Hoylake RNLI Coxswain Howie Owen said: “The crew had a great time on Saturday welcoming the public into Hoylake RNLI Lifeboat Station.
‘It was great to introduce them to our volunteers and show the vital equipment we use during our work to save lives at sea, while raising money to help us carry on doing this.”
A West Kirby RNLI spokesperson said: “It was a great event! Seeing the community come together and enjoy the day with Hoylake and West Kirby lifeboat crews, along with the HM Coastguard and BDMLR team was fantastic.
“It’s a wonderful reminder of the unwavering support from those we serve and inspires us to continue our mission with even greater dedication. Thank you for standing with us!”
Anyone wishing to donate online directly to support the Hoylake and West Kirby RNLI lifeboat stations can visit https://fundraise.rnli.org/fundraisers/Hoylake.
Photos credit: RNLI/Dan Whiteley
