19 crew stake to the seas for lifeboat fundraiser

FUNDRAISERS were all at sea yesterday as part of a massive nationwide effort to raise a €14 million lifeboat crew training fund.

A fleet of 19 privately-owned inflatable ribs from across the southern coast, with up to 100 people on board, left Kinsale Harbour in Co Cork in the early morning bound for Aberystwyth in Wales as part of the fourth annual Rib Run for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

Event organiser Ronan Twomey, who was crewing one of the boats with his wife Ger, said he was delighted with the turn out.

“We hope to raise in excess of the €35,000 we raised last year,” he said.

The event has raised over €90,000 in the past four years. It costs €1,460 per year to train an RNLI crew member.

Conditions were rough yesterday but the fleet arrived in Wales just after 6pm.They are due back in Kinsale on Sunday evening around 6pm.

* Contact Anne Sweeney, RNLI fundraising manager, on tel: [phone].