The appeal raised more than £80,000 - a fantastic amount - thanks so much to everyone who supported us.
Looe RNLI’s new D class inshore lifeboat is officially named
Date: 09/07/2011
Author: Emma Haines, Lifeguard Press Officer
Hundreds of people attended a special ceremony at the lifeboat station this morning (Saturday 9 July) to officially name and dedicate Looe’s inshore lifeboat Ollie Naismith. The D class, which has been on service in Looe since November, was funded by a public appeal which saw an amazing £84,000 raised in eight months – more than double the original target.
Under sunny skies, the invited guests and the local volunteer RNLI teams celebrated the occasion with a service of dedication, led by the Reverend Brian McQuillen, who came back to Looe especially for the service following his retirement earlier this year.
The lifeboat was handed to the care of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution by Mr John Naismith, father of Ollie, and was named by Ollie’s mother Maxine and sister Tori.
David Haines, RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager at Looe, said:
‘On behalf of Looe RNLI, it gives me great pleasure to accept the Ollie Naismith into our care. We’re delighted with this new inshore lifeboat, which arrived on station in November. Since then, it has launched 11 times and assisted 16 people. The Ollie Naismith is much faster than our last inshore lifeboat and is fitted out with high-tech navigation equipment and an updated first aid and oxygen box.
‘When the appeal was launched back in March last year for £31,000, we never imagined we would be standing here today with more than £84,000 raised. It is phenomenal to think a small community has raised such a huge amount of money to purchase a new lifeboat for their town and is something we should all be very proud to be a part of.’
Volunteer lifeboat crew members, fundraisers, donors and other invited guests were present at the event, which also included a demonstration of the lifeboat’s capabilities after the ceremony. Music was provided by the Looe Community School band and Pelynt Male Voice Choir and Polperro Fishermens Choir also attended.
Crowds were treated to a surprise visit from the Lizard’s new Tamar class lifeboat Rose, as well as Looe’s old lifeboat Ryder.
The £31,000 fundraising appeal for Looe’s new D class lifeboat began in March last year, when it was announced the boat would be named after Ollie Naismith, a very popular local teenager who died in a car crash in December 2009 at the age of 19. Support was overwhelming from the local community and by November, just eight months later, more than £84,000 had been raised. The additional money meant the RNLI was able to purchase a tractor and trailer for the new lifeboat and will fund the running costs associated with the lifeboat for many years to come.
The Ollie Naismith arrived at Looe in November on what would have been his twentieth birthday.
His father John said at the ceremony today:
‘Ollie loved the sea and he loved Looe, this is the perfect tribute.
‘I’d like to thank organising committee which was set up with the aim of raising £31,000 for the purchase of the lifeboat. To all of you on the committee, thank you so very much. To all of you that contributed or collected, or organised an event - thank you.
‘To raise almost three times the target, providing not just a lifeboat, but a trailer for it and a tractor to pull them is a wonderful achievement.’
Maxine Naismith, Ollie's mother named the lifeboat. She said:
‘We are here today to celebrate. We are celebrating life. We are celebrating the compassion, dedication and tremendous efforts of those who belong to the community of Looe and its surrounding areas, who contributed in one way or another and have brought us here today, to help keep us all safe at sea. For that, I thank you all.’
The ceremony marked the start of the Festival by the Sea weekend in Looe with highlights including music concerts, food tasting on the quay and a raft race.
November 30, 2010
Looe RNLI appeal reaches £75,000
The fundraising appeal for a new D class lifeboat has reached £75,000 following the success of two recent events.
A full house packed the Sports Hall at Looe Community School on November 20 for a variety concert to mark the end of the £31,000 fundraising appeal.
The event raised just over £2,000.
On the same night, a crew ball was held at Looe Bay Holiday Park, which raised approximately £4,000.
The total now stands at £75,000 with more funds still coming in.
David Haines, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Looe, said: “We are so grateful to everyone who supported the variety concert and have contributed to raise this amazing amount of money. Looe now has a valuable new asset which will help save lives for many years to come.”
Tamsin Thomas, RNLI Divisional Media Relations Manager, compered the variety concert, which saw a host of local groups showcase their talents.
Entertainment included Looe Primary School, brownies, scouts, Sheila’s School of Dancing, Looe Valley Singers, Polperro Fishermens Choir, Pelynt Male Voice Choir, Porthpyra Singers, the community school band, guitarist Phil Keene and the Looe Entertainers.
Between the various acts, the Rotary Club of Looe Valley held an auction.
John Trethewey, president of the Looe Lifeboat fundraising committee, said: “I’d like to thank all the performers for their contributions, Tamsin for making the evening run so smoothly and the Rotary Club who also manned the car park.
“Thanks are also expressed to the Looe Community School for the use of the hall, Ian Stevenson for all the audio back-up and the primary school for providing the staging. Special thanks also go to the RNLI committee members who did a great job with the raffle and the refreshments. A great evening was enjoyed by all.”
19 November 2010
Looe RNLI almost doubles its money as lifeboat appeal reaches £69,000
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) can reveal today (Friday 19 November) that the appeal to raise funds for a new D class inshore lifeboat for Looe has raised nearly double the target set. It had been hoped to collect the £35,000 needed to provide the lifeboat, which is being named after local man, 19-year-old Ollie Naismith who died in a tragic car accident last year. After seven months of very determined fundraising, the charity can confirm now that thanks to the enormous generosity and hard work of many people, the amount raised is actually £69,000
The new D class inshore lifeboat Ollie Naismith is being unveiled to the public today (Friday 19 November) on what would have been Ollie’s twentieth birthday.
A D class inshore lifeboat has served Looe since 1992 and Ollie Naismith will replace the present one, Regina Mary. The new lifeboat is of the very latest design and is faster than the previous one and fitted out with the latest high-tech navigation equipment and an updated first aid kit. Small and highly manoeuvrable, the lifeboat is ideal for rescues close to shore in fair to moderate conditions and has a single outboard engine and can be righted manually by the three crew in the event of a capsize.
Dave Haines, RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager at Looe, says the station team are all very excited at the lifeboat’s arrival:
‘Everyone has worked really hard to help raise the money for the new lifeboat and it’s really exciting to know it’s finally on its way to us. Of course it’s made all the more special because of who it is named after and I know Ollie Naismith will ensure we can continue our lifesaving work in the Looe area.
Our volunteer crew have been very busy this week training on this new, more advanced lifeboat. We now look forward to using her to help save lives at sea.
This weekend there will be a major concert at Looe Community College that will mark the end of the appeal to fund the lifeboat, so now I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped us to raise the money needed. Hundreds of people have run events, taken on personal challenges and sent donations and we are grateful to them all.’
David Hannah, RNLI Appeals Manager for the south west, says many were inspired to support the fundraising effort by the personal link to Ollie Naismith:
‘The appeal and the lifeboat are seen as a memorial to a vibrant and bright young teenager whose life was cut tragically short by a terrible accident. As a result, many people have worked tremendously hard to raise the money needed and have exceeded the target set. This is great news for our charity as it means we can now fund the lifeboat, her upkeep including refits when appropriate, and the costs of training the very dedicated volunteers who will crew her. This support can now last for many years to come.
I would like to pay tribute to the fundraising committee at Looe RNLI who have spearheaded this appeal and worked extremely hard to make it the success it is, and to the hundreds of other people who have donated their time to bring in money through events, challenges and financial gifts. Thank you one and all.’
£19,000 reached in just four months
The RNLI revealed on July 5, that just four months after launching an appeal to raise £31,000 for a new D class inshore lifeboat for Looe, a cracking £19,000 has already been collected. The new lifeboat, which is due to arrive at the station in the autumn, will be named in memory of 19-year-old Ollie Naismith who died in a tragic car accident last December. Today the charity is launching a special YouTube film featuring one of Ollie’s best friends, Jamie Curtis who is a crew volunteer at Looe.
The appeal for the new lifeboat has touched many hearts, especially in the town where Ollie lived. Money has been donated by individuals, groups and organisations including the Chairman of Cornwall Council, Pat Harvey who has chosen the RNLI as her official charity. The support has delighted the RNLI team at Looe and Ollie’s parents, John and Maxine Naismith who are actively involved in the appeal. Maxine, who recently joined 17 others to raise money by skydiving, says she can’t believe the kindness people are showing:
‘Many of our friends are busy raising money, but so too are total strangers who are inspired by the very personal nature of the appeal and I can’t say a big enough thank you to them all. I’m staggered by the fact that in just four months we have already collected over £19,000. It really is a wonderful memorial to Ollie and we take strength from all the support and words of kindness.’
Today a special film has been put onto the RNLI’s YouTube site (see link below) featuring one of Ollie’s best friends, Jamie Curtis who is a lifeboat crew volunteer at Looe. It’s hoped it will be circulated via Ollie’s enormous circle of friends on the social networking site, Facebook and asks young people to help raise the funds needed for the new lifeboat. Jamie says he hopes his direct appeal will inspire people:
‘Ollie was a really good friend all through school and I have very happy memories of him surfing, playing music and generally hanging out. I hope this film will show people why this is the best way of keeping Ollie’s memory alive for his Dad, Mum, sister and his many friends in the community of Looe. I’d ask people to use the link and feature it on their Facebook pages so as many young people as possible can find out more about our appeal and why our crew need the new lifeboat and hopefully help us raise the rest of the money.’
To view the film and post it to personal sites and pages, please follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGwqXoNK_-k
You can also donate to the appeal in the following ways; by sending a cheque made out to the Looe Inshore Lifeboat Appeal to Looe Lifeboat Station, West End, East Looe, Cornwall, PL13 1AT or by ringing 0845 121 4999 and quoting the appeal, or via either the station website at www.looelifeboats.org or the RNLI website at www.rnli.org.uk/looeappeal
RNLI Looe Launch Appeal for New Lifeboat
On Monday 8 March Looe RNLI launched a £31,000 appeal to pay for a new D Class inshore Lifeboat for Looe. The new Lifeboat, which is due to arrive at the station in the Autumn, will be named in memory of 19 year old local man Ollie Naismith who died in a tragic car accident last December. His family are supporting the charity's appeal, along with the town's Mayor, Councillor Michael Joy who pledged his support at his annual dinner on Friday 12 March.
A D Class inshore Lifeboat has served Looe since 1992 but the present one, Regina Mary, needs to be replaced. The new lifeboat will be of the very latest design, will be faster fitted out with hi-tech navigation equipment and an updated first aid kit, including oxygen. The appeal aims to raise the total amount needed to provide the lifeboat, its engine and all relevant equipment to help save lives at sea.
The D Class Lifeboat has been the workshorse of the RNLI for 40 years. It's small and highly manoeuvrable, making it ideal for rescues close to shore in fair to moderate conditions. It has a single outboard engine and can be righted manually by the three crew following a capsize.
Dave Haines, RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager at Looe, says the D Class lifeboat is a vital asset to the town and compliments the bigger Atlantic Class Lifeboat that the RNLI also base at Looe.
'Looe and its surrounding coastline is extremely popular, especially in the summer months, and time and again the call outs we launch prove the need for our two inshore lifeboats.Then of course there is our fishing fleet to protect and the many leisure craft that journey between Fowey and Plymouth. This new D Class inshore Lifeboat will provide us with a valauble tool, especially when it comes to rescues up the river in shallow water, and out amongst the rocks or at the foot of cliffs'
The new lifeboat will be the last of the D Class design to arrive in the south west and will carry the name of Ollie Naismith. One of Ollie's closest friends, Jamie Curtis is an RNLI volunteer at Looe and will be one of those to man the new Lifeboat. Ollie's mother, Maxine says it is a wondereful tribute to her much-loved son:
'Ollie loved the sea and surfing and Jamie was one of his close friends. Ollie was full of life and would be amazed to see his name on a lifeboat. This will keep his memory alive for his Dad, Sister and me and for his many friends in the community of Looe. Lots of people have asked if there will be some sort of memorial for Ollie following his tragic death, and now I can answer them by asking them to give financial support to this appeal in Ollie's name'
People wishing to donate can either; donate online by following the link or send a cheque made out to Looe Inshore Lifeboat Appeal to Looe Lifeboat Station, West End, East Looe, PL13 1AT, or by ringing 0845 121 4999 or by supporting the many events due to be held in the coming months. For more information please contact Emma Haines, Looe Lifeboats Press Officer on 07979 452693.