Triple Celebration For Porthdinllaen Lifeboat
A triple celebration will take place on the Lleyn Peninsular coast this weekend. Porthdinllaen RNLI lifeboat crew will not only name their new Tamar class lifeboat and open the new boathouse, they will also be marking 150 years of saving lives at sea.

Credit: RNLI/Nicholas Leach
Dignitaries, supporters and celebrities will join the Porthdinllaen lifeboat crew this Sunday as the station holds a ceremony to name and dedicate the lifeboat and officially open the new boathouse. As well as marking the exciting new chapter, the volunteers will be presented the charity’s Vellum to mark 150 years of lifesaving on the Welsh coast.
Since arriving on station in August 2012, the Tamar class lifeboat John D Spicer has launched on service 32 times to help those in trouble at sea. The lifeboat will be officially named John D Spicer - in memory of the lifeboat’s main benefactor - by TV commentator David Dimbleby, a close friend and executor of John D Spicer’s Will.
John D Spicer was an RNLI Governor and keen sailor who sadly passed away in 2010. The £2.7M lifeboat has been funded as a result of generous legacies left to the charity from RNLI supporters John D Spicer, Tony and Christine Ingram from Bracknell and Gerald Anthony Guy, former Mayor of Wolverhampton.
A new £9.8M boathouse was built to house the new lifeboat and has proven to be a star tourist attraction on the Lleyn Peninsular coast over the summer. The new boathouse opened its doors to the public over the Easter weekend; since then the volunteers have welcomed thousands of visitors from across the UK as they proudly showcase the modern building.
Ken Fitzpatrick, Porthdinllaen Lifeboat Operations Manager said:
‘Sunday will be a very proud day for all involved at Porthdinllaen RNLI; it’s a chance for us all to see how much we have achieved over the last two years and look ahead to the station’s bright future. A dedication service is a historic event for all coastal communities – it’s a chance for us to personally thank the donors and their families by showcasing the lifeboat’s capability so they can see the difference their loved ones legacies will make by saving lives at sea. But Sunday will be extra special for us all since it’s a triple celebration and the official start to a new chapter in Porthdinllaen RNLI’s history.’
The RNLI ceremony to mark the naming and dedication of the Tamar class lifeboat, official opening of the new boathouse and presentation of the 150th Vellum will take place at Porthdinllaen Lifeboat Station from 11:30am on Sunday 28 September.
Event: Porthdinllaen lifeboat naming ceremony, official opening of the new boathouse and 150th Vellum presentation.
Date: Sunday 28 September 2014
Time: 11:30am
Taken from the RNLI News Centre