John Abraham, Chairman of Porthcawl RNLI Lifeboat Station, was delighted to invite a group of masons to view the new state of the art Atlantic 85 lifeboat and the launching equipment used, when needed, to rescue those in peril at sea.
Members of Kenfig Lodge, based in Porthcawl, had agreed to support the RNLI as part of it’s fundraising for 2010. The group had raised a total of £1000 and this was presented to the Porthcawl RNLI fundraisers during the visit to the station.
Chairman, John Abraham said:
“It was amazing the total amount raised by this relatively small lodge who meet four times a year and generate monies that then benefit organisations such as ours. As a charity the RNLI relies totally on donations from individuals and groups like this and it is very reassuring to know that people keep us in mind and help so much to keep our crews trained and equipped”.
Graham Wild representing Kenfig Lodge said:
“Charity giving is fundamental to Masons, we are one of the largest charity providers in Britain. Nationally we have supported the Royal National Lifeboat Institution for many years, and then more recently, at Kenfig Lodge, we decided we would make a donation to the RNLI’s Porthcawl Lifeboat Station thus supporting both the local crews and the community who use the sea in and close to our town”.
A spokesperson for Porthcawl Lifeboat Station, Aileen Jones, said:
“The crew are very aware of the costs involved each time they have a call out. Each rescue is different and depends very much on the sea conditions at the time. The crew are confident knowing that the RNLI provides them with the very latest professional training, and the most suitable lifeboats to meet the ever increasing demands of the service. At Porthcawl during 2009 we took delivery of one of the RNLI’s Atlantic 85 lifeboats, Rose of the Shires the fastest lifeboat type in the fleet. This will be a great asset to us and all those who use the sea around our part of the coast. We are grateful to members of the Kenfig Lodge and thank them for their support”.
Last year proved to be the station’s busiest for many years with a total of 55 callouts and 17 lives saved.
