SPECIAL celebrations are being planned as part of this year’s Fowey Lifeboat Week.
The week runs from July 28 to August 4 and will be marking the 200th anniversary of the RNLI and 165 years of Fowey lifeboats.
The first event, on Sunday, July 28, is due to be Music on Town Quay. Tuesday, July 30, will see a quiz at the Safe Harbour Inn, while on the Wednesday, the Royal Fowey Yacht Club will host a music and supper event.
The Fowey Lifeboat 165 Year Exhibition will run in the town hall from Thursday, August 1, to Sunday, August 4, and will feature photographs and memories, a model lifeboat, a life-size inflatable boat, videos and winning lifeboat art competition entries.
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On the Thursday at 6.24pm, a “One Crew 18:24” photograph will be taken at the lifeboat pontoon.
The Friday will feature lifeboat tours between 5pm and 6.50pm followed by a lifeboat dedication ceremony with the Rev Carol Edleston. There will then be live music, dancing, food and refreshments on Town Quay, with Joey The Lips, a 10-piece band, performing from 7.45pm. The evening will be rounded off by a firework display from the middle of the river at 9.45pm.
The music and firework event would not be possible without the support of a number of sponsors.
Fowey Lifeboat press officer Cathy Baillie said: ‘The event finale will be a firework display. The fireworks will be set off from a barge in Fowey Harbour, so that people on both sides of the river, in Fowey and Polruan, can enjoy them.
“We are delighted that Horizon Architectural Glazing has agreed to sponsor the fireworks and are very grateful for their involvement in our celebration of 200 years of the RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea.
Horizon sales manager Aiden Libby said: “We are delighted to be able to support the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the RNLI and the 165th birthday of Fowey lifeboats. The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea, and as an organisation relies on volunteers giving their time and energy and charitable donations to train and equip volunteer lifeboat crews. I hope everyone will come along and help mark the occasion – I will certainly be there with my family.”
Saturday, August 3, will see Lifeboat Day run from 10am to 3pm with music, activities, refreshments and lifeboat tours. A float-a-fender race will take place in the harbour at 2pm, with people having the chance to decorate a fender at the lifeboat station beforehand.
If anyone has any spare fenders that they would like to donate to be used in the race, they can drop them into the wheelie bin in the station car park.