Fundraising appeal launched for new RNLI lifeboat station
“With you by our side, we can carry on our mission. A new lifeboat station will make a huge difference to our lifesaving service here in the local community,” so says Tom Bradbury, a volunteer crew member of Lough Ree Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), in promotional literature to publicise the rescue charity's fundraising appeal for a new home in Athlone.
“It will provide excellent training and changing facilities, and help us launch safely and efficiently every time,” Mr Bradbury adds, urging people to be a lifesaver too by donating to the charity to help them raise €100,000 towards the cost of the new building.
Just last month a historic sod-turning ceremony took place in Coosan Point as part of an exciting partnership between the RNLI and the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI) which will result in a shared home for the two organisations in Athlone.
The project will see a new state-of-the-art lifeboat station for Lough Ree RNLI and a clubhouse for the IWAI with work expected to be completed later next year.
The site of the new build at Dunrovin is located on the shore of Lough Ree, at the original home of the Rice family, who generously bequeathed the site to the IWAI with the wish that the organisation would benefit from its use.
Funded entirely by donations, the rescue charity is appealing for donations, however small, to help build a permanent station near the existing slipway at Coosan Point which is crucial for the efficient launching and recovery of the lifeboat.
“Thanks to generous donor James Scougall, the crew have the latest Atlantic 85 lifeboat – but they don’t have a proper home for her. They operate from temporary shipping containers and urgently need a new, purpose-built station with modern facilities for casualties, crew and craft,” the fundraising leaflet explains.
Since 2012, Lough Ree RNLI volunteers have helped more than 1,060 people, launching over 370 times on the lake's 29km stretch of inland water, making it one of Ireland’s busiest lifeboat crews but it urgently needs new facilities to continue its lifesaving mission, it adds.
Speaking last month at the sod-turning, RNLI Lifesaving Lead Owen Medland underlined the importance of a permanent home for RNLI volunteers locally available on a 24/7 basis.
“This new shared facility will provide a permanent lifeboat station in the mid-Shannon region that will offer a top-class search and rescue facility for those living near or visiting our beautiful area. Sustainability is at the forefront of all the RNLI’s projects and the design standards of the building are very impressive.’
“We are delighted, with the site provided for our permanent lifeboat station and looking forward to having new neighbours,” Mr Medland continued.
Alan Kelly, President of the IWAI, hailed the occasion as an important historical milestone for the Inland Waterways Association, coinciding with regeneration of Dunrovin for waterways users.
“Both the RNLI and IWAI are part of the fabric of the community they operate in and we are thrilled to be working together in partnership as we embark on this journey to build a new clubhouse and lifeboat station," he ended.