Council chair hosts a reception to mark 200 years of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)
11th October 2024
Recently the Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor John McClaughry, hosted a reception to mark the 200th anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
The following is a copy of the speech made by the Chair at the reception:
Good evening ladies and gentlemen
As Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, I am delighted to welcome you all here to The Townhall, Enniskillen this evening for this reception to mark the 200th anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and recognise the work which is done here locally in our District.
The RNLI was established in 1824 with the aim of working together with partners and the community to educate, influence, supervise and rescue those at risk of drowning.
The RNLI is a charity that saves lives at sea and operates primarily as a result of kind donations from the public.
Fermanagh, with the vast expanse of waterways, is fortunate to have two RNLI Stations – one in Carrybridge and one in Killadeas.
Lough Erne Rescue was established by a small number of locals in the late 1990s. I understand that a request was made by the RNLI in 2000 for Lough Erne to be part of a pilot scheme for inland waterways and the Lough Erne RNLI was established. On 24 May 2001 the station at Killadeas and the first inland station was opened. I am delighted that, after 21 years in temporary accommodation, your new station opened in 2022 and it was officially opened on 01 July 2023.
The lifeboat at the Station is named John and Jean Lewis, who both had a keen interest in sailing and John was a major influence in model and full-sized yacht design.
The 2nd inland station was established at Carrybridge in 2002 with the new station officially opened in 2015 and a new lifeboat placed into service in 2017.
The stations are operated by approximately 30 volunteer management and crew providing a search and rescue service 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
In addition to this, the Crews undertake extensive training once a week to maintain the service and you offer various water safety programmes in schools and community groups and life jacket clinics.
Another important aspect of your service is working closely with the other emergency services including the PSNI, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and Mountain Rescue. You also work closely with the Policing and Community Safety Partnership on a variety initiatives including their educational Bee Safe campaign.
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is committed to ensuring our people are healthy and well and our communities are safe and resilient. Your work contributes to the achievement of this and, as highlighted previously, is particularly valuable in our District.
I would like to commend each and every volunteer with the RNLI locally, and across the UK and Ireland, for your commitment and heroism to help save lives on our waterways. Since the RNLI was established in 1824, over 144,000 lives have been saved and you have all played your part in this.
The RNLI is founded on the values of selflessness, courage, dependability and truthfulness and you all uphold these values every time you go out on a rescue mission. Local communities and visitors depend on and trust you and your selflessness and courage is very much appreciated.
On behalf of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, and on my own behalf, I congratulate the RNLI on its 200th anniversary and I thank you, on behalf of everyone in the District, for everything you do. I am delighted to announce that I have chosen the Lough Erne RNLI Fundraising Branch as my chosen charity for my term in office as Chair.
Thank you.