RNLI Portaferry Lifeboat
RNLI Lifeboat House, The Strand, Portaferry, Co Down, Northern Ireland

Portaferry Boathouse Appeal
Help us raise £75,000!

Some of Portaferry's lifeboat volunteers and support team at the site of the new Lifeboat Station
 

What is taking 2500 tons of steel?
500 cubic metres of concrete?
5000+ bricks, loads of blocks and an awful lot of hard work…..?

Help us to build the new Portaferry Lifeboat House by buying a BRICK and be part of a piece of history

Gold brick         £20.00
Silver brick       £10.00
Bronze brick       £5.00

Purchasers of Gold, Silver and Bronze bricks will receive a certificate and have the buyer’s name inscribed in a commemorative book, which will be kept in the new Boathouse.

(PS Why not buy a wall!)

You can donate online at www.justgiving.com/portaferryboathouseappeal

Or print this page and send it with your cheque to:
Portaferry Lifeboat Treasurer, Captain Edward McGee, Landfall, 36 Windmill Hill, Portaferry, Co Down BT22 1RH. Northern Ireland
. Please make cheques payable to RNLI (Portaferry Boathouse Appeal)

PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS

I would like to buy Gold/ Silver/ Bronze brick(s) (delete as appropriate)
and enclose a cheque for £......................                      

Name……………………………………….......................
Town / Country ……………................................................
(as you wish it to appear in the Commemorative book)

Address ……………………………………………….….....
(this information is optional and confidential and will not be included in the Commemorative book)
………………………….….………………………….…..

Telephone Number ……………………………………….......

For details of how YOU can help please contact the RNLI Belfast office
Tel 028 90 473 665 or email
ro/ni@rnli.org.uk

Members of the volunteer lifeboat crew and fundraisers with Portaferry RNLI lifeboat station have launched a major £75,000 appeal towards the cost of building a bigger lifeboat station to house their new Atlantic 85 Blue Peter lifeboat, which is due on service next year.

Building work has already started at the site of the former lifeboat station in Portaferry, which was demolished last month to make way for a bigger inshore lifeboat.  The original boathouse was built in 1987 on the north east side of the Strand and housed the current Atlantic 75 lifeboat.  However, advances in technology have meant that the brand new state of the art Atlantic 85 lifeboat, due to arrive in Portaferry next year, is longer than its predecessor. Therefore a new boathouse needs to be built to accommodate it.    

Now members of the Portaferry lifeboat crew and Portaferry District and lifeboat guild want to raise £75,000 towards the cost of the new boathouse.  The building will take ten months to complete and has been designed to tie in with the surrounding buildings of the local area.  The stone clad boathouse will also feature a huge window on the upper floor of the station, which will let people see all the way through to the castle behind.  As well as housing the new lifeboat the station will include crew training and changing rooms, showers and an office.  The copper roof has also been designed in the shape of an upturned boat.  A local builder, Oliver Sloane, has been chosen to carry out the work.

Commenting on the appeal, Anna Classon, RNLI fundraising and Communications Manager says, “ This is a very important appeal for the RNLI.  Portaferry is one of our Blue Peter stations and I know that all the volunteer crew and supporters are looking forward to getting their new Atlantic 85 lifeboat.  Work on the station is at an advanced stage and we are asking the public to be as generous with their support for this appeal as they have always been in the past.” 

Brian Bailie, Portaferry Lifeboat Operations Manager added, “ We are really looking forward to getting our new boathouse and lifeboat.  The crew are very committed to the station and are always ready to launch the lifeboat to go to the assistance of anyone in difficulty at a moments notice.  Strangford Lough is a very popular location and increasing amounts of people are spending their leisure time on the water.  It is very important that we have a fast and efficient lifeboat capable of reaching causalities quickly.  I hope that people will be generous with this appeal and continue to support us in saving lives at sea.”

The new B class Atlantic 85 lifeboat has been funded by through a Blue Peter TV appeal and will be named the Blue Peter V, the same name as the current lifeboat in Portaferry.

 

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Registered Charity Number 209603