Completion of new boathouse makes for a cracking Easter for Porthdinllaen RNLI
The RNLI crew at Porthdinllaen have a spring in their step after receiving the keys for their purpose built boathouse.
The station’s new £2.7M lifeboat is now housed in the new facility – but fundraising efforts need one final push before the crew are home and dry.
A £100,000 community appeal towards the cost of the boathouse is nearing target and RNLI supporters are being urged to support a schedule of events over the summer.
Earlier this month, the charity undertook extensive slipway trails which were deemed a success. Since then, the crew have been busy moving out of their temporary accommodation and setting up home at the purpose-built facility.
Whilst entering an exciting new chapter in the station’s proud history, volunteers are gearing up for the final push towards reaching their £100,000 community target. A schedule of events is planned for the summer, and the crew are calling on locals to support them during the final fundraising drive.
Kicking off the final fundraising push is a 26 mile sponsored walk from Caernarfon to Nefyn on 27 July. Then, with the finish line in sight, crew and supporters will saddle up for a 200 mile bike organised by Welsh TV personality Morgan Jones. The bike ride will take the crew around the county of Gwynedd and will start on 4 July and end in Porthdinllaen on 6 July. An open day will also take place in August at a date to be confirmed.
The crew have spent the past month settling in to the new facility and members of the public will be able to take a look around the new boathouse over the Easter break.
Fundraisers from across the UK have come together to support Porthdinllaen’s lifeboat crew in their appeal by holding events and raising money to help fund the new build.
Michael Davies, Coxswain at Porthdinllaen RNLI said:
‘To see our modern new lifeboat inside its new home fills me with pride. It has been a challenging 18 months maintaining business as usual whilst operating out of temporary accommodation. With the lifeboat on a mooring in the bay, not only has maintaining her been that bit more difficult, but the crew have had to reach her via boarding boat, not ideal during the bad weather. I cannot praise our crew enough for their commitment and dedication during this transition period.
‘Seeing John D Spicer safely housed in her new home has made everything worthwhile and is the culmination of a long project and the realisation of a dream for us. Obviously as a charity the RNLI needs to raise the funds to support this exciting project and, whilst we’re nearing our goal, we’re not slowing down just yet and hope people support us in our final push over the summer.’
To support Porthdinllaen RNLI volunteers in their £100,000 fundraising drive please contact the station on 01758 721392 or to donate £5 directly towards the appeal text RNLI CYMRU to 70300.