Crosshaven RNLI celebrate 22 years with luncheon fundraiser

Crosshaven RNLI is set to mark their 22nd anniversary with a special celebration this November.

The lifeboat charity will mark this birthday with a luncheon event at Carrigaline Court Hotel on November 11.

The luncheon aims to raise funds for the continuation of many more years, saving lives on Cork’s coasts.

Jon Mathers, Press Officer for Crosshaven Lifeboat Station explained the importance of fundraisers like this and how they have attributed to the charities 22 years; “We get a massive amount of support in Ireland, but it is definitely getting harder. Thankfully, because of the type of work we do, people do give generously but we just couldn’t operate if they didn’t. Its as simple as that.” 

Jon revealed; “We don’t receive any funding from the Irish Government at all. Everything that we raise here in Crosshaven, goes into the larger RNLI central fund and they give it back to us in terms of lifeboats and equipment.” The Crosshaven RNLI lifeboat centre answers between 35 to 40 calls a year, which each callout costing almost €1000, making the running of the centre a costly project.

“The class of lifeboat we have is €339,000 to buy. Every five years, the lifeboat is taken and stripped down to essentially make a brand new lifeboat. So, the cost for the boat alone throughout its lifespan of 15 to 20 years costs about €800,000,”he told.

The yearly running costs for the Crosshaven centre is estimated to reach €30,000 a year. In addition to this, the cost of crew training and personal equipment can amount to nearly €3,500 annually.

Crosshaven’s RNLI was first established in 2000, operating from a shipping container adjacent to the Royal Cork Yacht Club.

“Crosshaven is a massive leisure sailing community and before we began, the nearest lifeboats were in Ballycotton and Courtmacsherry. These had quite a long distance to travel to get to Cork harbour if there was a problem. A number of locals got together in 2000 to campaign for lifeboats here in Crosshaven,” Press Officer Mathers said.

The lifeboat charity operates education and water safety demonstrations around Cork in schools, businesses and in communities, aiming to prevent accidents on Cork waters.

“We used to get over 50 shouts a year and thanks to our training programmes, we have brought it down to around that 35 to 40 mark. Accidents always happen but most of the time, they can be prevented through our education.” The 22nd-anniversary luncheon will take place on November 11 at noon.

Tickets for the charity event cost €85 per person, and will include a three-course meal, music, plans for the future of RNLI Crosshaven, as well as recognizing crew members who have received long service awards for their dedication to saving the people of Cork.

For more information regarding tickets, contact Jennifer_grey@rnli.org.uk.