Portrush RNLI stage SOS Swim

SOS Day is the annual RNLI Crew fundraising day and stations all over the country host innovative and novel ways of fundraising incorporating the SOS initials.

Portrush Lifeboat Station dreamt up the idea ‘Swim Our Severn’ over the past four years, which involves hardy souls jumping into the sea at Portrush Harbour and swimming round Portrush All Weather Lifeboat ‘The William Gordon Burr’.

Many of the swimmers jumped in without wetsuits and some went in in fancy dress, and the local Coastguard team jumped in in their distinctive blue boiler suits.

The Swim Our Severn was the brainchild of mechanic Anthony Chambers and Coxswain Des Austin.

Des explained: “This is a fun event that involves our crew, fundraisers, and a great local crowd who turn out irrespective of the weather to support the volunteer lifeboat crew. The crew themselves take part and their colleagues and on standby to give them a friendly push and also to haul them in at the end of the swim’

The man with the megaphone for the event was James Heaney Chair of Portrush Lifeboat Management Group.

The biggest cheer of the day was reserved for RNLI mechanic Anthony Chamber who swam round the Severn in his SOS Lifeboat T-shirt.

After the event everyone was treated to homemade soup made by Shirley Austin in Portrush Yacht Club