AN APPEAL to raise £78,000 for a new Looe lifeboat has made a good start with more than £1300 in the first week of fundraising.
The whole of South East Cornwall is encouraged to get behind the efforts to bring the new D class inshore lifeboat to Looe in 2022.
Like the current vessel, it will be named in memory of Ollie Naismith.
More than ten years on from the first appeal, Ollie’s family and friends are joining another local family, the Webbers, in supporting the charity’s appeal for the Ollie Naismith II.
Next year, the current D class will have reached the end of its operational life and needs to be replaced. In its ten years on station, the Ollie Naismith has launched 184 times, rescued 138 people, and saved six lives.
The appeal aims to raise the total amount needed to build the new lifeboat and deliver it to station, together with all the relevant kit and necessary ongoing crew training.
Launching this appeal during a pandemic means that many traditional fundraising activities are on hold until lockdown restrictions are relaxed.
But the launch has been marked virtually with the premiere of an appeal video on the RNLI Looe Lifeboat Station Facebook page. “The appeal team are planning fundraising events, including concerts in the boathouse, beach activities and open days, and details of these will be released when circumstances allow,” said Looe RNLI spokesperson Ian Foster.
To find out more and give your support visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/looe-lifeboat-appeal