Lough Ree RNLI visited by couple in novel fundraising challenge

Volunteers at Lough Ree RNLI last Thursday played host to a London-based couple who plan to visit all RNLI lifeboat stations in Ireland and the United Kingdom in 911 hours to raise funds.

Belinda and James Richardson have been fundraising for the charity for a number of years. They last visited Lough Ree RNLI in 2022.

The couple arrived at the lifeboat station at Coosan Point on August 29, midway through a 13,380 kilometer (8,500 mile) journey of driving their Porsche 911 to all 238 RNLI lifeboat stations.

The adventure, which started in Morecambe, England, in August and is scheduled to end on the Isle of Man later this month, is aimed at delivering a new relief ‘D Class’ lifeboat to the RNLI fleet.

On their short visit to the midlands, the couple presented the crew with a specially commissioned, limited edition ‘Top Trumps’-style pack of cards that features every RNLI lifeboat station, including Lough Ree.

They also gave a specially commissioned jigsaw commemorating the ‘911 Challenge’ and the 200th anniversary of the RNLI.

Welcoming the couple to Coosan were Lough Ree RNLI volunteers Mary Hearty, Bernie Larkin, Ciaran Curley, Pat Coffey, treasurer Vincent Rafter and Tom McGuire.

Rafter accepted the gifts on behalf of the crew, thanked Belinda and James for their return visit to the lifeboat station and wished them every success in their venture.

He said, “This challenge illustrates the importance of fundraising initiatives to the charity as volunteers continue to respond to members of the public in difficulty on the water.”