Helping save lives at sea

For us, living and operating on a somewhat unique coastal peninsula, surrounded by complex tidal systems with the Dee Estuary to the west, the Mersey Estuary to the east and Liverpool Bay to the north, the RNLI is a vital service to local residents of all ages, and visitors to our beautiful coastal region.

Naturally, Home Instead Wirral were delighted to sponsor The West Kirby Santa Dash, an annual charitable event held in our local community during December, with all profits raised going to The West Kirby Lifeboat Appeal.

There were a record number of participants of the two and four-legged variety, who took part on a freezing December morning and ran either a 2K, 5K or 10K route along the Wirral Way, a local nature trail. The Santa dashers included Jonathan Hayes, West Kirby RNLI crew member and husband of Jen, our Head of People. Jonathan decided to run a quick 5k in his dry suit! 😊

The cold certainly did not dampen spirits and we are delighted that we raised £1,117.91 for the West Kirby Lifeboat Appeal. The boys and girls at West Kirby Lifeboat have been busy raising £50K in order to buy a new D Class vessel to replace their long serving lifeboat, is which has been the workhorse of the station for over 20 years old and has seen a lot of sea time. We are happy to be able to contribute towards this in order to Save Lives at Sea.

Mike Chalton, Owner of Home Instead Wirral said, “The West Kirby Santa Dash is always a popular event that grows year on year and Home Instead love to join in and support this amazing local event. When looking for a charity to support this year, it seemed obvious that when a local charity is trying to raise such a large amount of funds that we help them out. The work that the West Kirby Lifeboat carries out is vital to our local area and we are happy to support them.”

Richard Diamond, Lifeboat Operations Manager said “What an impressive event, spectacle and fundraising efforts by the organisers and Home Instead.

The Santa Dash has become a great West Kirby tradition, made possible by those who participate and brave the weather – Thank You.

It’s the funds that you raise from events like this and the continued support of our community that makes such a positive impact on the RNLI Team and enables West Kirby Lifeboat to continue to save lives at sea. Thank you all for your efforts and generosity, its genuinely recognised and hugely appreciated.”

Fiona Hanik, The Organiser of the fun run said “It was a pleasure to raise money this year for West Kirby Lifeboat. As members of the West Kirby community, we see first-hand the excellent work that the RNLI does on a daily basis. Santa Dash organisers Chris Pandit, Sonia Carty and myself are open water swimmers and paddle boarders, so you never know when you might need their services – although hopefully we never will. We like to choose a charity where we know that the money raised will have a real impact locally and West Kirby Lifeboat Crew do an amazing job all year round so it’s fantastic that we can support them.

We all wish safe passage to all everyone at West Kirby Lifeboat Station in their new vessel and hope that they save many lives at sea.

Our Head of Business Operations, Mary Costello-Smith (a former crew member from the neighbouring Lifeboat at RNLI Hoylake), proudly joined the event organisers to present the cheque to the RNLI West Kirby Station earlier this week, which was warmly welcomed.

We all wish safe passage to all everyone at West Kirby Lifeboat Station in their new vessel and hope that they save many lives at sea.

For more information about West Kirby Lifeboat and the RNLI visit: https://shorturl.at/gjpz7