KINSALE RNLI welcomed Chris Smith to the station on Wednesday August 21st with the RNLI 200 scroll for volunteers to sign and add their names to the RNLI history.
Volunteers who signed the scroll were Nick Searls from the lifesaving operations team, Gail Swanton from fundraising and Gerard Quinn from water safety, with signatories from all charity lifeboat stations being represented across the United Kingdom and Ireland. Between them, Nick, Gail and Gerard have over 70 years of volunteering with the RNLI.
During its journey, the scroll will be kept safe in a bespoke case made from the same materials used to build and maintain the charity lifeboats, stations and lifeguard units.
Ford has supplied a specially designed all-electric E-Transit van to transport the 5m long scroll from one RNLI community to the next for signing.
The last signature to be added will be the patron of the RNLI, King Charles III.
On the scroll is the pledge, which reads: ‘Whoever we are, wherever we are from, we are one crew, ready to save lives. We’re powered by passion, talent and kindness, like generations of selfless lifesavers before us. This is our watch, we lead the way, valuing each other, trusting each other, depending on one another, volunteering to face the storm together. Knowing that, with courage, nothing is impossible. That is what has always driven us to save everyone we can. It’s what makes every one of us a lifesaver.’
Beneath the pledge, printed in seven languages (English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Ulster Scots, Manx, and Cornish), it says: ‘Signed in 2024 by representatives of the RNLI’s lifesaving communities, on behalf of all who strive to save every one.’
