The 2009 Christmas Draw was made at the Watch House Blyth Harbour on Wednesday 2nd December 2009.
A total of £936 was raised and the Ladies Guild would like to thank everyone for their support and wish to extend a Very Happy Christmas to all.
A list of the winners and prizes is shown below, please contct your ticket seller if you are a winner.
The crew of Blyth Lifeboat were called out by two Blyth Spartans fans who were on the last leg of a trek from Ballymoat, Co Sligo Ireland to Croft Park, home of Blyth Spartans. The two fans from Ballymoat needed to arrive before the kick off against Eastwood Town on Saturday 14th November 2009.
The two supporters from Ireland were met in Newcastle and escorted on bicycles to Croft Park by Blyth crew member Adam Dixon. They were greeted on arrival by other loyal fans along with a larger than life RNLI ‘Stormy Stan’.
The three day trek undertaken by Fergus Dowd and Thomas Bryant, pictured below with Stormy Stan, raised some £2,000 for the RNLI
Date - Friday, October 30th 2009
Launch Time - 17:22
Incident - Blyth Lifeboat was called out by HM Coastguard at 17.22 hours 30th October 2009 to assist a person reported to be in the sea near the Mermaid Car Park in the South Beach area of Blyth.
The Lifeboat was launched at 17.32 hours and arrived on scene at 17.34 hours to join with Police ground units, Police helicopter, Ambulance and an HM Coastguard mobile patrol. The units then commenced a search of the area for the casualty.
At 17.50 hours it was reported by police that the person had been found safe ashore. The Lifeboat left the scene at 17.51 hours, returned to station and was ready for service at 18.15 hours.
Two fans of Blyth Spartans AFC from Ireland, Fergus Dowd and Padraig Corrigan are making a three day trek from Ballymoat, Co. Sligo to Croft Park (the home of Blyth Spartans) to raise funds for the RNLI.
The journey will see the two lads travel using 11 modes of transport from lorry to bicycle in order to get to Croft Park in time for the Eastwood Town match on Saturday, 14 November 2009.
The proposed journey is as follows: -
Ballymote to Tallaght Dublin by Lorry
Tallaght to Heuston Station by Luas
Heuston Station to Connolly Station by Motorbike
Connolly Station to Dun Laoighre by Dart
Dun Laoighre Dart Station to Dun Laoighre pier by Skateboard
Dun Laoighre to Hollyhead by Boat
Hollyhead to Chester by Bus
Chester to Manchester by Taxi Van
Manchester to Newcastle airport via York by Train
Newcastle Airport to Newcastle city centre by Metrolink
Newcastle city centre to Croft Park by Bicycle.
Should you wish to sponsor the lads on their trip, please use the following link: -
Date - Monday, September 28th 2009
Launch Time - 14:42
Incident - Blyth lifebaot was called out by HM Coastguard at 14.42 hours 28th September 2009 to assist the fishing boat ‘Fortune’, reported to be taking in water about 5 miles east of the Port of Blyth. However, there was some uncertainty about the precise location of the fishing boat.
The Lifeboat was launched at 14.52 hours along with Tynemouth Lifeboat and a Search & Rescue Helicopter.
Blyth Lifeboat was expected to reach the scene first and take off her crew to ensure their safety then Tynemouth lifeboat with pumping capacity would take action to pump out the water and take ’fortune’ in tow.
When the Search & Rescue Helicopter arrived in the vicinity they found that the fishing boat was actually located east of the River Tyne at which point Blyth lifeboat was stood down.
Blyth Lifeboat returned to station at 15.16 hours and was made ready for service by 15.30 hours.
Blyth’s Lifeboat Operations Manager John Scott said, “This service call is a good example of RNLI Lifeboat Crews working together to save lives at sea.”
Date - Sunday, September 27th 2009
Launch Time - 12:14
Incident - Blyth Lifeboat was called out by HM Coastguard to assist a Wind Surfer in Blyth Bay near the West Pier, Port of Blyth The windsrufer was reported to be in difficulties and at risk of being blown out to sea by the offshore wind.
TheLifeboat was launched at 12.24 hours and arrived on scene at 12.27 hours. The Wind Surfer was recovered by the crew and taken to the beach. One member of the crew stayed with the Wind Surfer to make sure that he was safe and well while the lifeboat returned to the scene of the incident to recover the wind surfing equipment and ensure the area was clear and would not be a hazard to others using the sea.
After the lifeboat crew had handed the equipment over to the wind surfer and collected their ramining crew member they returned to station at 12.50 hours and the Lifeboat was ready for service at 13.15 hours.
The Blyth Lifeboat Operations Manager John Scott said, “At the time conditions for wind surfing seemed good but unfortunately things can go wrong, fortunately the difficulties of the Wind Surfer were seen and a successful rescue operation was quickly brought into action.”
Blyth Lifeboat Staton will be open to visitors as part of the 2009 ”What’s down your street?” Heritage Open Days event in Blyth Valley.
The station will be open to visitors on the following days in September
Thursday 10th - 10.30 am > 3.30 pm
Friday 11th - 10.30 am > 3.30 pm
Saturday 12th - 10.30 am > 3.30 pm
Sunday 13th - 11 am > 3.30 pm
Memebers of the crew and operations team will be available to show visitors the lifeboat and station.
Paul Boissier who will take over as the Chief Executive of the RNLI during September 2009 visited Blyth lifeboat station during a tour of stations on the North East coast.
Paul Boissier is pictured below with Blyth’s branch chairman DR, R Carr.
Mr John C Scott, the Lifeboat Operations Manager Blyth Lifeboat Station was presented with an award in recognition of his many years of voluntary work.
John Scott has served 12 Years as Lifeboat Operations Manager, and has done sterling work for the RNLI Blyth Station during some difficult years of restructuring at the Station.
It is interesting to note that John started his voluntary service with the RNLI during 1974 as a crewmember of the D Class lifeboat, probably the fastest class of lifeboat at that time. He later joined the crew of the Civil Service Class Lifeboat ‘Winston Churchill’. Then as the years passed he qualified as Assistant Mechanic, then Mechanic, then as Second Coxswain Mechanic.
Like many things in life there is change, the lifeboats became larger and faster that gave the craft a greater range of service. The types of incidents at sea needing the assistance of lifeboat crew also changed some 80% of the incidents are closer to shore and require the assistance of the Atlantic or D Class Lifeboats.
During the past 35 years Mr John Scott has seen the changes and development of the D Class Lifeboat, which is probably the longest serving class of RNLI Lifeboat. The D Class lifeboat was introduced into service in 1963 and has over the years been improved and developed, and today it has a speed of 25 knots and the power to tow a vessel of some 40feet should a tow be necessary.
Date - Monday, July 20th 2009
Launch Time - 15:22
Incident - Blyth Lifeboat was called out by HM Coastguard at 15.22 hours 20th July 2009 to assist three persons who because of the force of an ebb tide and storm flood water running down the river Blyth, were unable to row their tender boat back to shore and were therefore stranded onboard a 16ft motorboat in the Upper Harbour, Port of Blyth.
The Lifeboat was launched at 15.28hours and arrived on scene, at 15.31 hours. The crew then took the three persons and their tender to the River Blyth Boating Association slipway. On making sure the three persons were safe ashore the lifeboat then returned to station.
At 15.50 hours whilst returning to station the HM Coastguard requested Blyth lifeboat to investigate a report of young persons jumping into the sea from the West Pier Port of Blyth and also at South Beach Blyth.
After searching the areas the crew of the RNLI Blyth Lifeboat were able to report to the Coastguard that there were no people in immediate danger. The ‘Jennie B’ then returned to station at 16.14 hours, and was ready for service at 16.30 hours.
The Blyth Lifeboat Operations Manager John Scott said. “Because of the prevailing dangerous conditions at the time the three persons made the right decision to call for help”.
