Angle's new £2.6 million RNLI Tamar class lifeboat is now expected to go into service in the spring of next year. This will depend on completion of work to adapt the station's boathouse to accommodate the state- of-the-art vessel - the 11th Tamar to be built. Once the lifeboat is operational she will be formally named, probably in May or June of 2009. Fund-raising for the new Tamar has now closed, following a massive anonymous donation, which saw the target of £1m reached. The remaining £1.6 m cost of the new boat is being funded by the RNLI. Meanwhile, a relief Tyne class lifeboat, RFA Sir Galahad - formerly based at Tenby - is now in service at Angle and is operating from a mooring off the lifeboathouse. She succeeds The Lady Rank, which was launched on service 399 times at Angle and saved 421 lives. This much-loved lifeboat is now based at Porthdinllaen in North Wales. Progress on the new Tamar was reported at the station's annual general meeting, when tributes were paid to RNLI divisional inspector Andy Clift who is moving to the lifesaving charity's north division. His successor, Colin Williams - who transfers from the Ireland division - was welcomed by Angle's lifeboat operations manager, John Allen-Mirehouse. Also welcomed was the station's new treasurer, Major George Hancock, who succeeds the late Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Bulkeley. Colonel Bulkeley has been posthumously awarded a silver statuette for his work for the RNLI. A silver statuette has also been awarded to Angle's deputy launch authority, Jeff Stringer. Tributes were paid to Colonel Bulkeley and to Graham Unsworth, who died in April and was a much valued member of the shore crew. Area fund-raising manager, Bev Rosser-Smith, praised the efforts made locally for the Tamar appeal. Over £51,000 was raised in West Wales - nearly £10,000 of that total being donated by local Masonic lodges. • Angle lifeboat station now has its own website -http://www.anglelifeboat.org">www.anglelifeboat.org - which has been set up by Jo Lynas, who is also the station's education volunteer.
