Gareth celebrates 40 years of volunteering at Porthdinllaen RNLI

Gareth, of Morfa Nefyn, started his volunteering at Porthdinllaen RNLI in March 1985. Being an engineer by trade, he quickly established himself as assistance mechanic at the station. He is only a handful of crew members at the station who have served on three different classes of all-weather lifeboats. The station was equipped with the Kathleen Mary, a 14m Watson class capable of 8 knots. This was then replaced by the Hetty Rampton, a 14m Tyne class lifeboat with a top speed of 18 knots, to the present lifeboat today, the Tamar class is a 16m lifeboat, John D Spicer capable of 25 knots.

To celebrate Gareth's achievement, an evening was held at Caffi Ni in Nefyn, in the company of Gareth's family and friends, past and present crew members, and the fundraising team.

Gareth was presented with a framed photo by the station's Coxswain Owain Williams, and his 40-year Long Service Medal by Porthdinllaen's Lifeboat Operations Manager, Ken Fitzpatrick.

Gareth said: 'I'd like to thank my wife Nia, daughter Owena, my family, past and present crew at Porthdinllaen for their unwavering support over the years.

'I've seen a lot of changes over the years, including the development of the current lifeboat, capable of 25 knot in speed, that we now have in service at Porthdinllaen. As well as the nature of the calls we attend, but our goal has remained the same, to respond when the call for help is made and to save lives at sea.

'I'm not ready to hang up my yellow wellies just yet and look forward to continuing my volunteering service at Porthdinllaen Lifeboat Station.'

Kenneth Fitzpatrick, Lifeboat Operations Manger at Porthdinllaen noted:

'I remember Gareth as a youngster joining the team here at Porthdinllaen and he has showed total commitment to his volunteer role throughout.

'Porthdinllaen Lifeboat Station is a close knit family and Gareth is held in high esteem here. We all look forward to working alongside Gareth for years to come.'

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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