Big Brother-style challenge puts eight in a boat

BEING squashed into a liferaft with seven other people wouldn’t be many young men’s choice of how to spend a weekend.

But one will be following his mother’s footsteps when he joins the novel charity fundraiser this Friday, July 18.

Ian White will be hoping he enjoys the same endurance levels as mother, Sheila, when he clambers into the liferaft for 40 hours next weekend.

Sheila previously lasted the two-night stint to raise money for Courtmacsherry RNLI and her son is hoping to repeat the feat.

The liferaft ‘crew’ are hoping to raise more than €7,000 from the event, which goes towards running the local lifeboat.

The liferaft will be moored in the harbour for the duration of the fundraiser.

A spokesman for the organisers said the participants will face a number of Big Brother-style challenges while they are afloat.

These challenges will determine how many luxuries or treats they are entitled to, individually, or as a group.

Six men and two women will be taking part.

They include Annette Coughlan, a member of the Kinsale lifeboat crew and Ann Holly, a sister of the fundraising committee’s chairman.

They aren’t all locals, though. Paul McDonald heard about the fundraiser and immediately signed up even though he lives in Co Mayo.

Courtmacsherry was one of the first lifeboat stations established in this country.

For the past 175 years, it has provided search and rescue cover off the south coast.

During that time, crew members have won 14 awards for gallantry.

A further fundraiser event, in the form of a coffee morning, will be held in aid of the local lifeboat.

It will take place on Saturday, July 19, at the Courtmacsherry Hotel from 11 am to 1 pm.

The Courtmacsherry station is an integral part of the RNLI network of lifeboats around the coast.

Their current lifeboat is a Trent-class vessel, the Frederick Storey Cockburn.

It is designed to cope with off-shore weather and difficult sea conditions.

The lifeboat is crewed by volunteers, with a small number of full-time members.

They all come from the Courtmacsherry area which ensures a fast response to emergency call-outs.