On Monday, 4 March, to celebrate 200 years of the RNLI, volunteers of New Quay RNLI’s shop, fundraising and lifeboat crew met at the lifeboat station to watch the live stream of the Service of Thanksgiving from Westminster Abbey.

Joining the group were also members of the Stourbridge RNLI Fundraising Group - Chris Fonteyn, Chairman, Helena Turner, and Sue and Jim Coombes, who presented New Quay RNLI’s Coxswain Daniel Potter and Mechanic Bernie Davies with an engraved glass plaque to commemorate 31 years of service of the retired Mersey class lifeboat Frank and Lena Clifford of Stourbridge, which will be proudly displayed in the boathouse.

Largely funded thanks to a legacy left to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution by the late Frank Clifford of Stourbridge, the all-weather lifeboat was placed on service in New Quay, Wales, on April 8, 1992. Frank Clifford was the owner and managing director of an industrial company near Stourbridge.

Over the past 31 years, the RNLB Frank and Lena Clifford of Stourbridge provided vital lifesaving services to the communities of Cardigan Bay and visitors alike - having launched for duty 219 times, aided 216 people in difficulty in the sea, and saved 21 lives.

Stourbridge fundraiser and Rotary President, Dale Wilkins, arrived at the boathouse with his wife Sally after walking the North Wales coast path, raising over £1000 for New Quay RNLI. The RNLI Stourbridge Branch has pledged to continue to maintain the proud relationship it has enjoyed with New Quay Lifeboat Station and its volunteer crew over the years.

Daniel Potter, New Quay RNLI’s Coxswain said, “We would like to thank the Stourbridge branch for their ongoing support over many years, including a significant contribution to our Shannon appeal. We are very grateful for their support that ensures our service can continue across Cardigan Bay.”