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Richard Huish Lodge 8518 Support The Minehead Lifeboat By Donating Over £2000!

The Richard Huish Lodge, Taunton, held their famous Ladies’ Summer Lunch at the end of May.  Our Master and his Lady, Roger & Tracey Biss, chose RNLI as their charity for the day, though sadly a late Covid test result precluded the speakers from being with us. Donations and a raffle on the day, plus raffles from earlier Lodge meetings produced  £1,620 and a successful application to the Somerset Masonic Charity for support of £500 lifted the total to £2,120 to donated to the Minehead  RNLI.

Much work to be done!

RNLI have an appeal underway to raise £1.2m to upgrade the Minehead station, now 120 years old, and need to raise £250,000 locally. The building works include much-improved crew changing facilities for the mixed volunteer crews and a new boathouse for one of the boats, thus leading to faster launch times.

Minehead is arguably the most difficult launch station in the country.  If the large Atlantic 85-class boat needs launching, then the faster and smaller D-class Rigid Inflatable has to be moved out of the way so that the launch tractor can hitched to the Atlantic. A new boathouse for the D-class will mean the launch time for both boats can be reduced by 25%.

The one-of-a-kind Minehead Lifeboat launch tractor

Roger Biss said “In a coastal community, like Minehead, we understand the crucial importance of the lifeboats, especially as we are a tourist resort, where many visitors can be caught unawares by the tides and the weather. Any support we can give is valuable.”

Some of the Minehead RNLI Lifeboat crew.

Roger Biss said “In a coastal community, like Minehead, we understand the crucial importance of the lifeboats, especially as we are a tourist resort, where many visitors can be caught unawares by the tides and the weather. Any support we can give is valuable.”

Richard Newton said “Everyone at the station is hugely impressed by the fact that so much support for the appeal has come from outside the immediate area. Over the last few months, we have seen individuals and organisations from all over Somerset and beyond making valuable contributions to the fund-raising effort as well and, for that, we are hugely grateful”

After the presentation, members went along to The Valiant Soldier in Roadwater, for a splendid celebratory lunch.

Article submitted by W. Bro, Charlie Barker, Richard Huish Lodge.

Posted By Andy Baird. PCO.

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