#RNLI - On 14 July our friends across the Irish Sea at Blackpool RNLI will celebrate 150 years of lifesaving.

The station was established in 1864 – 40 years after the RNLI was founded – and has been operated by a large team of dedicated volunteers ever since.

During its 150-year history, the charity’s lifeboats in Blackpool have launched on 1,898 occasions and have rescued 625 people.



A great deal has changed for the station in that time. The first lifeboat station to be built in Blackpool cost £170 – in sharp contrast to today’s station running costs, which total £85,000 per year. 

The cost of RNLI lifeboats has also changed dramatically. Samuel Fletcher of Manchester, the station’s second lifeboat, entered service in 1885 at a cost of just £398. This sum is considerably smaller than the £214,000 price tag of the current Atlantic 85 William & Eleanor. 



Running costs are not the only thing that has changed in the 150 years since Blackpool RNLI was established. The number of calls for help has also changed significantly. 

In the first 100 years of service Blackpool’s RNLI volunteers had an average of just two service calls per year. However, for over a decade now the station's volunteers have launched on average 64 times each year.


On some occasions callouts are straightforward and simple but on others the rescue operations are challenging, dangerous and demand extraordinary levels of seamanship, skill and bravery.

During Blackpool RNLI’s 150 years of saving lives at sea, the charity’s volunteers have been awarded six medals for gallantry, three silver and three bronze.

The most recent medals for gallantry were awarded to Keith Horrocks MBE and Phil Denham in 1988, awarded in recognition of the courage, skill and determination they displayed when both inshore lifeboats were involved in the rescue of two people in very confused seas.   



Blackpool RNLI volunteer lifeboat operations manager Keith Horrocks MBE said: "Our RNLI lifeboat station in Blackpool has a very long and proud history of saving lives at sea. 

"Our 150th anniversary is a significant milestone and provides a timely opportunity to remember the hundreds of men and women who have volunteered for the RNLI in Blackpool since 1864. 

"Many things have changed for the charity since 1864 but the dedication and enthusiasm of our volunteers has not."

#Lifeboats - Portrush RNLI's all-weather lifeboat was launched on Saturday 5 July to reports of kayakers in difficulty at the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge.

Although the sun was shining and it seemed like a good day for kayaking, the weather conditions at sea were choppy with a southwesterly wind that picked up what Independent.ie described as a 'freak wave' that capsized the group.

Two of the kayakers ended up on the rocks at Carrick-a-Rede and the coastguard rescue team were deployed to pick them up while the Portrush lifeboat stood by to offer safety assistance.



Two of the kayaking party who tried to make it back to base were found struggling as the tide changed, and were picked up by the Portrush all-weather crew along with their kayaks.

The party and their kayaks were then transported safely back to Portrush Harbour, where the kayakers disembarked. The whole operation took approximately three hours.



Portrush RNLI had a visiting coxswain on board, Anthony Barclay from Moelfre Lifeboat Station in Anglesey, North Wales.

One of Portrush’s previous lifeboats, Richard Evans, was named after one of the RNLI’s greatest heroes, a holder of two RNLI gold medals for bravery who also hailed from Moelfre.



Barclay said: "It was a privilege to cox the Portrush lifeboat today, and myself and the crew were pleased to have brought the kayakers safely back to Portrush Harbour."

In other news from Portrush, lifeboat chair James Heaney and operations manager Robin Cardwell were presented with a lovely gift from Dorma Healey and her son Steven recently.

On behalf of the station, they accepted a silver medal belonging to Dorma's father Sam Cunningham, ex-coxswain of the Portrush Lifeboat.

The medal was awarded to Cunningham for his outstanding seamanship in the rescue of a number of Greek seamen on the ship Argo Delos, which had run aground just off Malin Head on 2 October 1960.

The rescue was long and difficult in very rough weather, and the lifeboat was on service for over 14 hours.

In all 14 lives were saved thanks to the dedicated volunteer crew of the lifeboat. Each crew member received a ‘Thanks on Vellum’ from the RNLI and special tribute, with each of the crew also receiving an engraved silver tankard in recognition from the Royal Navy's HMS Leopard, which had also helped in the rescue.

Dorma Healy was delighted to present her father's medal to the station. This medal is unique in that it comes with an identical miniature silver medal, which was presented to Cunningham’s wife Dorothy.

For this rescue, the second coxswain at that time, Robert McMullan, also received a bronze medal for his courage displayed during the rescue.

This bronze medal is also displayed in the lifeboat station and was presented by his son Robert, also coxswain of the Portrush lifeboat.

#Lifeboats - Lough Ree RNLI assisted seven people whose vessels got into difficulty in two separate callouts over the weekend.

The volunteer crew was first requested to launch their inshore lifeboat at 6.20pm on Saturday 5 July following a report that a cruiser was experiencing engine problems off Goat Island.

1. The crew responded and went to the assistance of three people on board the 30ft craft. The lifeboat towed the casualty to Ballyleague Marina, returning at 9.20pm.

The lifeboat had a second callout on Sunday 6 July at 6.57pm, this time to assist a yacht with a failed engine off the north end of Nun's Island.

The lifeboat launched at 7.08pm and towed the craft to Hodson Bay. There were two adults and two children on board.

Meanwhile, Lough Ree RNLI recently held its open day at the lifeboat station, during which it welcomed Junior Cert student Liam Chartan from Athlone Community College.

Chartan had been given a project for his exams based on a theme entitled 'My Inspiration' and chose the RNLI, and Lough Ree Lifeboat Station, in particular, as his inspiration – as he lives only a ‘shout’ away from the station and has been inspired by the crew's activities since they commenced two years ago.

Chartan designed his project around a miniature replica of the lifeboat, the Dorothy Mary, and a pedestal with the instantly recognisable RNLI motif.

"When Liam returns from his holidays we hope to have him back to the station to observe a full training exercise," said Liam Sherringham, Lough Ree RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer.

"We hope he is surely headed for a volunteer crew role in the future, and we wish him well with his exam results."

#RNLI - Arranmore RNLI in Donegal has assisted nine people after two yachts got into difficulty within five hours earlier this week.

At 12.30pm on Wednesday 2 July, the volunteer lifeboat crew responded to a call for assistance from a yacht which had got into difficulty west of Bloody Foreland.

The 37ft yacht, with seven crew members on board, was experiencing problems with its engine and sails.

On arrival, the lifeboat crew stood by. but with deteriorating weather conditions and a 3-4 metre swell, coxswain Anton Kavanagh decided to escort the yacht to safety until it was safe to secure a tow rope.

As both the lifeboat and the yacht reached the lee side of Arranmore at Beal a’ Chreesh, the crew managed to secure a tow and brought the vessel into Burtonport, where two of the yacht’s injured crew were then transferred to Letterkenny General Hospital by ambulance.

Meanwhile, at around 2.15pm another 10m yacht with two crew members on board got into difficulty eight miles northwest of Arranmore when the vessel’s boom broke.

With no immediate danger, the skipper of the yacht began to make his way towards Burtonport until the lifeboat could return from its first call and escort them into harbour as a safety precaution in what were rapidly deteriorating weather conditions.

Speaking after both rescues, Arranmore RNLI mechanic Philip McCauley said: "For four to six weeks we were quiet and now have responded to six calls in just under two weeks, but I suppose that’s the nature of the business we are in and the volunteer lifeboat crew will always be ready to go out whenever we get the call.

"We were pleased to assist both casualty vessels and their crews today; it is all part of the service."

The lifeboat station at Arranmore is experiencing one of its busiest summers with calls for assistance to help locate missing swimmers, rescue injured fishermen and carry out medical evacuations.

Elsewhere, the Clogherhead RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew launched yesterday morning (Friday 4 July) to the aid of a fishing vessel with engine failure located 3 miles north-east of Dunany Point in Co Louth.

The all-weather lifeboat was launched and underway by 7.25am. On arrival at the scene, coxswain Tomas Whelahan and his crew assessed the situation, and together with the skipper of the casualty vessel it was decided to tow the disabled vessel to Port Oriel.

There were no injuries and the boat was safely tied up at 10:24am.

#RNLI - Dunmore East RNLI's volunteer lifeboat crew launched yesterday (Tuesday 1 July) to assist a 17ft vessel that suffered engine failure two miles south of the harbour.

At 7:40pm the lifeboat launched at the request of the Irish Coast Guard to assist the vessel with two people on board, located just off Red Head.

Five minutes after launch, the Trent class lifeboat Elizabeth and Ronald arrived on scene to find the motor vessel drifting 300m from shore and both passengers wearing life jackets.

The volunteer RNLI crew took the casualty under tow and arrived safely back at Dunmore East Harbour at 8:05pm.

Dunmore East RNLI coxswain Roy Abrahamsson said: "The conditions this evening were very good, which helped the whole operation run smoothly."

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI's volunteers had a busy weekend answering three calls for assistance in a 24-hour period.

The first callout was on Saturday afternoon (28 June) at the start of the Round Ireland Yacht Race in Wicklow Bay when a competing yacht reported it was taking on water after sustaining damage on the race start line.

The lifeboat, under the command of coxswain Nick Keogh, and the inshore lifeboat escorted the 37-foot yacht with six crew safely into Wicklow Harbour.

The second callout came on Sunday morning (29 June) when both lifeboats were launched shortly before 8.30am to investigate a report of an injured man near Bride's Head.

The inshore lifeboat crew were on scene eight minutes later and found an injured man on a beach near Bride's Head. First aid was administered to the casualty after he sustained leg injuries from a fall off nearby cliffs.

The man was taken off the beach on the inshore lifeboat, transferred to the all-weather lifeboat and taken back to Wicklow Harbour. The lifeboat, under the command of Second Coxswain Ciaran Doyle, was met on arrival by a waiting ambulance crew at the East Pier.

Speaking following the callout, Wicklow RNLI press officer Tommy Dover said:  "The casualty was extremely lucky and did not sustain any life-threatening injuries after his ordeal."

The third callout occurred on Sunday afternoon near the entrance to Wicklow Harbour, when the inshore lifeboat came to the assistance of a small boat with engine failure.

Helm Mark Kavanagh and two crew brought the boat with one person on board safely ashore.

#RNLI - After a series of 999 emergency calls reporting an object crashing into the sea off Bray, Co Wicklow yesterday evening (29 June), a brief search by the volunteer RNLI lifeboat crew from Dun Laoghaire discovered a giant Mickey Mouse balloon on the water.

Several callers to the Irish Coast Guard's Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Dublin reported an object crashing into the water 1km off the Bray seafront. 

Several paragliders had been operating in the area recently, and there were fears that the object might have been one of these in difficulty.

Arriving on scene, the all-weather lifeboat crew of seven recovered a large inflatable Mickey Mouse balloon that had fallen into the sea and was being carried by the light breeze and flood tide towards the cliffs at Shanganagh.

"We're happy that this was a call made with good intent and calling 999 and asking for coast rescue is always the best course of action," said Stephen Wynne, lifeboat operations manager at Dun Laoghaire. 

"And in this case, we were particularly happy to assist Mickey Mouse, one of the all-time favourite cartoon characters."

#RNLI - Kilkeel RNLI's volunteer lifeboat crew responded early yesterday morning (29 June) to a 40ft two-masted glass fibre yacht reported to be burning out of control.

The owner of the yacht, anchored south south-east of Rostrevor Pier on Carlingford Lough, had been contacted and it was confirmed there were two gas cylinders aboard the yacht.

The Kilkeel lifeboat Frank William Walton was launched at 2.20am and quickly reached the stricken yacht, which very quickly was ablaze from bow to stern. There was a slight sea and good visibility with light and variable northerly winds.

One of the propane gas cylinders had already exploded so the lifeboat, with four firefighters from Warrenpoint and a mobile firefighting pump aboard, stood off at a safe distance.

When the fire had somewhat subsided the lifeboat returned to the yacht and the flames were extinguished. The lifeboat left the firefighters and the pump ashore at Warrenpoint and returned safely to the boathouse in Kilkeel at 6.45am.

Lifeboat helm Gerry Smyth said: "It was vital that the lifeboat crew, the firefighters and the lifeboat were kept out of danger whilst there was the possibility of the gas cylinders exploding.

"The yacht was extensively damaged and still afloat when we left the scene but importantly no lives were lost."

#RNLI - The crew of the Arranmore RNLI lifeboat were called on Wednesday afternoon 25 June to assist a fisherman involved in an accident on board a 12-meter fishing boat some 12 miles northwest of Tory Island.

Malin Head also dispatched the Irish Coast Guard helicopter from Sligo to assist in the evacuation of the injured fisherman in his mid-40s.

Anton Kavanagh, coxswain of the Arranmore lifeboat, said the transfer of the casualty went smoothly as the weather was good and the lifeboat had no problems manoeuvring alongside the fishing boat.

The casualty was transferred from his boat to the care of the lifeboat crew and taken to Burtonport, where he was transferred to Letterkenny Hospital by ambulance.

This is the fourth time in five days that the Arranmore lifeboat has been called out to render assistance. Two of the calls were medical evacuations from Arranmore who were transferred to Letterkenny Hospital by ambulance.

At the weekend, the lifeboat was called to search for a missing swimmer off Portnoo. Fortunately the swimmer was located by coastguard helicopter and the lifeboat returned to Arranmore.

Elsewhere, Rosslare Harbour's lifeboat and its volunteer crew launched at 7.30pm yesterday evening (26 June) to a reported sighting of two people stranded on a rock surrounded by water.

The alarm was raised by a concerned member of the public. Arriving at the scene within 15 minutes of launch, the lifeboat's daughter craft was deployed and it was soon clear that the two people were fishermen in no immediate danger.

Rosslare Harbour RNLI lifeboat press officer Jamie Ryan said: "The person who raised the alarm did the right thing. It is always better to call out the lifeboat and let them check on a person or situation of concern then to ignore it and risk a serious incident. 

"The lifeboat crew are volunteers and never mind being called out to check on a situation."

#RNLI - The RNLI brought two of its all-weather lifeboats into Belfast on Wednesday 17 June for the charity’s 190th anniversary of saving lives at sea.

To mark the milestone, the RNLI hosted an awareness day in the Titanic Quarter with a full display of their life saving equipment including the Severn and Trent class all-weather lifeboats, RNLI beach lifeguards and their vehicles and the Flood Rescue kit.

The lifeboats were crewed by volunteer lifeboat crew members from Northern Ireland lifeboat stations.

First Minister Peter Robinson visited the event to meet with the RNLI lifeguards and volunteer lifeboat crew, view the lifesaving equipment and learn about the work of the charity in Northern Ireland.

The First Minister also boarded the Severn class lifeboat for a short trip around Belfast Harbour.

"We wanted to bring a little bit of the RNLI to Belfast city," said RNLI divisional operations manager Gareth Morrison. "There is huge awareness of the work of the charity out on coast and at the inland stations where we are present but we wanted to bring our volunteers and equipment into the city for people to see.

"With the awards taking place in the Titanic centre it was a fitting way to mark 190 years saving lives."

The day culminated with the RNLI Annual Presentation of Awards for Northern Ireland fundraising and operational volunteers, which this year was held at Titanic Belfast.

RNLI volunteers and supporters from across Northern Ireland were recognised for their dedication and commitment to raising funds and awareness for the lifesaving charity and for playing a pivotal role in ensuring lifeboat crews and lifeguards can continue to save lives at sea.

Guest of honour and presenting the awards was RNLI chairman Charles Hunter-Pease, who was attending his first awards ceremony in Northern Ireland since taking up his role with the charity last year.

The awards included five gold badges, three silver badges, six bronze badges, 14 inscribed statuettes, six regional supporter awards and six certificates of thanks.

Among the gold badge recipients was Rita Jarvis from the Bangor branch, who was described as an outstanding volunteer who had worked tirelessly for over 20 years for Bangor RNLI.

Hubert Annett from Kilkeel was acknowledged as one of the station's characters, who had performed various roles including that of deputy launching authority over the last 20 years.

Guests heard how Kay Magee joined Maghera RNLI over 30 years ago and remained a driving force at the inland branch throughout.

Gavin Weatherall from Newtownabbey RNLI was acknowledged for his devotion to fundraising for over 25 years with roles including that of treasurer and more recently secretary of the branch.

Patricia Ritchie, the fifth of the gold badge awardees, was described as a highly devoted secretary at Portadown where she has worked tirelessly for more than 23 years.

Two gold badge recipients collected their awards at the RNLI’s annual presentation of awards in London last month. These included Lennie Lawson, deputy launching uthority at Portaferry RNLI and Patricia Crossley, chairman of the Ballymoney fundraising branch. Merwyn Hanna MBE from Kilkeel Fundraising Branch was made an Honorory Life Governor.

Praising the awardees, Hunter-Pease said: "It all starts with the people who give their time, their donation and their expertise.

"Over the decades, as we have expanded our service and developed new craft and facilities; our volunteers, fundraisers and supporters have become more important than ever.

"Without them there is no lifeboat station, no lifeguard unit, no flood rescue team, and no coastal safety work preventing tragedies."