New £2million lifeboat set to arrive tomorrow

The £2million vessel is expected to pull into Radcliffe Quay at 3pm and members of the public are encouraged to turn out to give her a warm welcome.

To help pay for the boat, a £200,000 fund-raising appeal was launched in 2014. Thanks to wide-ranging support, the ambitious total was smashed in June this year – a month ahead of schedule.

As part of the money-making efforts, the Shannon was the beneficiary of the Northumberland Gazette’s Jam Jar Army campaign in 2015.

The new lifeboat will be named Elizabeth and Leonard, in memory of a couple whose legacy helped to fund it partially.

It will replace the current all-weather Mersey-class lifeboat, The Four Boys, which is reaching the end of her operational life.

Katrina Cassidy, chairman of Amble Lifeboat Fund-raisers, said: “We really can’t wait to welcome our new lifeboat to the town.

“We hope that everyone who raised money for our appeal and offered such phenomenal support will come and see her arrive; it promises to be a historic occasion.”

The Shannon, built at the charity’s All-Weather Lifeboat Centre in Dorset, was originally due to arrive in the town in October, but this was delayed after she developed engine trouble en route.