News and Press Releases

Keep up-to-date with the latest news about the station, the boats, the crew and the website plus read the official Press Releases from our Press Officer, Russ Matthews.

PRESS RELEASE
New Skegness RNLI lifeboat goes into service
Russell Matthews, 2/9/10

The new Skegness RNLI inshore lifeboat Peterborough Beer Festival IV at sea for the first time yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. Credit: RNLI/Skegness.

A new RNLI inshore lifeboat goes into service at Skegness tomorrow (Friday 3 September), thanks to the generous donations from visitors to the annual CAMRA Peterborough Beer Festival.

The £31,000 D class lifeboat will be called Peterborough Beer Festival IV. She will operate alongside the Skegness all-weather lifeboat, Lincolnshire Poacher, and replaces the station’s former D class, Leicester Fox II, which has been retired to the RNLI’s training fleet.

Skegness’ RNLI volunteer crew have spent the past two days familiarising themselves with the new lifeboat, which is 5 knots faster than the old D class and also has enhanced manoeuvrability, built in navigation system and is ideal for providing a rapid response to distress calls close to shore.

Skegness RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, Alan Fisher, said the crew were impressed with the new lifeboat, which will help them reach casualties faster and more safely than before.

He added: ‘Everyone at Skegness lifeboat station is extremely grateful to the Peterborough branch of the RNLI and the CAMRA Peterborough Beer Festival for their continued support. Our charity depends on donations for its existence and without such kindness, our volunteer lifeboat crews would be unable to carry out their lifesaving role. We hope we’ll be able to welcome some of our Peterborough supporters to Skegness very soon to thank them in person for their generosity.’

Dick Hammond, Peterborough Branch Chairman said he and his fellow fundraisers were delighted that Peterborough Beer Festival IV was going into service at Skegness.

He added: ‘We had a target of £37,000 to raise, which we achieved after four years of collecting at the beer festival and so as well as funding the lifeboat we have provided enough money to pay for her first refit. The organisers of the beer festival have been very supportive of the RNLI for many years and every visitor who has contributed to this new lifeboat can be very proud that they have helped improve the RNLI’s lifesaving capability on the east coast.’

The RNLI’s Peterborough branch has been carrying out collections at the annual beer festival for 21 years and over that time has collected almost £176,000. The money raised has funded four inshore lifeboats for the RNLI, including a D-class for Redcar lifeboat station and an Atlantic 85 for the charity’s relief fleet.

PRESS RELEASE
Chinese lanterns spark search for red flares off Skegness
Russell Matthews, 29/8/10

The Skegness RNLI all-weather lifeboat (ALB) was called out following reports of red flares sighted off Chapel St Leonards earlier tonight (Saturday).

The lifeboat launched just after 9:30pm and was tasked by Yarmouth Coastguard to search an area north of the Dowsing wind farm, two to eight miles off the coast.

With numerous Chinese lanterns visible in the night sky, it is thought one may have been mistaken for a red flare.

The search was stood down with nothing found at approximately 11:30pm and the lifeboat washed down ready for service at 00:45am on Sunday morning.