A BLUE light car wash will be held this Sunday to support two RNLI crew members from Clovelly and a lifeguard from Bude, who are currently manning a rescue boat for the charity Refugee Rescue.

Bude lifeguard Richie Heard and Clovelly lifeboat crew members Rob Weare and Adam Beani are volunteer crew on ex-RNLI boat ‘Mo Chara’ in the Mediterranean.

This year Mo Chara has assisted in the rescue of more than 2,500 people in the two and half mile crossing between the Turkish mainland and the Greek island of Lesvos.

Richie said they arrived around two weeks ago, have ‘been involved in countless rescues’ and, as of Monday, have assisted 131 refugees.

Earlier this week he told the Post: “I’m finding it tough, stressful, emotionally very taxing but very fulfilling. We are out anything from three hours up to seven hours at a time, depending on the incident. Ninety-nine per cent of the time we operate at night, as that’s when the smuggler boats and refugee dinghies cross from Turkey. We tend to launch usually around midnight.

“You have to see it to believe it out here. It’s full on. We are operating on the edge of a war zone. It’s tough…emotionally more than anything.

“I can’t thank people back home enough for the love and support that we get. It’s priceless…it keeps me going! It means everything to know people back home are behind me.

“The blue light car wash has really touched my heart. I appreciate what people are doing so much. We come from a part of the world where people still care about fellow humans. I’m very proud of where I come from!”

Richie is working as a team co-ordinator and head of operations, and said he will be out there for at least another month.

He added: “I am desperate for anyone with SAR (search and rescue) experience or lifeguard qualifications. Apply at refugeerescue.co.uk”

It costs around £50 an hour to fuel the boat when running at full speed, so volunteer teams from the RNLI, Hartland Coastguard Search and Rescue Team, Hartland Fire and Rescue Service and Bude lifeguards have joined forces to raise funds and support them on a personal level.

They will be holding the blue light car wash this Sunday, October 23, from 11am to 3pm at Clovelly Visitor Centre, by kind permission of Clovelly Estates.

Go along for either a ‘drive-thru’ car wash, or park-up and visit Clovelly Village — the RNLI Lifeboat Station will be open all day for visitors.

Suggested donations are £5 to £10 per car.

Mark Nesbitt of Hartland Fire Brigade, said: “We’re expecting to have four teams of six all working simultaneously (and competitively)! You can either just have a quick drive-through car wash or you can leave us your registration number and a donation and we’ll wash your parked car while you visit the beautiful village of Clovelly.

“The Clovelly RNLI lifeboat station will also be open so if you visit the village you can also see the boat and kit that Rob and Adam train on and use.”

Refugee Rescue are rotating skilled crew every two weeks so as well as needing funding they also need help in finding experienced SAR volunteers — in particular helm and skippers.

For more information on the charity, visit www.refugeerescue.co.uk or call 07767 271886.