THERE was delight among members of the fundraising committee of Port Isaac RNLI recently when awards and an update was given at their annual meeting at the village hall on Thursday, April 4, that enough funds had been raised to purchase a new D-Class lifeboat.

Proceedings from the annual meeting were read out by the chairman Bob Bulgin along with operational updates from lifeboat operations manager Chris Bolton. The committee were very pleased to be able to report that all monies had now been raised to buy the station a new D-Class lifeboat. In all, £52,000 was raised in plenty of time for the new boat named ‘The Pride of Port Isaac (Goeth Porthusek)’, which is hoped to be with the station in October of this year.

There then followed a series of awards for retiring members of the station’s operational team.

John Brown has served 43 years with Port Isaac lifeboat as crew and in more recent years as deputy launching authority. John, who is a member of the popular shanty group ‘Fisherman’s Friends’, has been a valuable member of both crew and shore crew and the certificate paid testimony to his participation in the lifeboat service.

James Bolton has served on both Port Isaac and Rock lifeboats for 15 years before deciding to step back. During his service at Rock and Port Isaac the lifeboats rescued 36 lives from shipwreck.

Chairman Bob has been the station’s press officer for more than 20 years and this year he decided to retire from some of his duties. The presentation was made by Tom Mansell, RNLI area lifesaving manager, who said: “Bob has given guidance, friendship and constant enthusiasm and has been a fantastic press officer for this station and it’s right that we recognise that with a certificate to say thank you. You are one extraordinary person.”

Crew and committee were delighted to hear that Bob will remain the branch’s chairman.

Following the presentations everyone was provide with food and refreshments courtesy of the committee and Sharp’s brewery before listening to a fascinating and very moving talk on the history of the Penlee lifeboats from guest speaker Martin Brockman. Martin is the volunteer lifeboat visits officer at Penlee and is the son of the late Nigel Brockman, assistant mechanic of the Solomon Browne and brother of retired Coxswain Neil Brockman.