An English couple, Belinda and James Richardson, are aiming to visit all RNLI stations in various regions as part of wonderful fundraiser. They began the fundraiser on Friday, August 23, at the RNLI station in Morecambe in the UK, before undertaking the monumental task of visiting 238 stations within 911 hours.
The RNLI-911 Challenge will see the retired interior designers from London driving 8,500 miles, boarding 36 ferries, and taking four flights to reach remote stations.
Since 2018, the couple has raised €97,000 for the lifesaving charity through a similar challenge and now hopes to raise enough to fund a D-class inshore lifeboat, which costs around €129,000. At West Cork Whiskey, we were delighted to sponsor the Union Hall station stop on the trip.
Ger McCarthy, co-founder of West Cork Distillers, shared that the RNLI holds a special place in their hearts, as his father, a fisherman for 50 years, was a lifelong supporter of the lifeboat. Cathal O’ Brien was present on the day to deliver a special presentation of the Maritime release to all the crews in attendance.