New Cullercoats Lifeboat Offically Named

The Hylton Burdon, an Atlantic 85, is the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's most technologically advanced inshore boats.

It was launched at Cullercoats lifeboat station in January and has already been used to rescue 10 people.

Mr Burdon from Wallsend left the legacy in memory of his brother Richard, lost at sea in the 1940s.

The lifeboat was named infront of over 400 people on Saturday 28th April by his friend, Cheryl Robinson from Morpeth.

Atlantic 85's cost around £125,000 and are the first inshore lifeboats to have radar, enabling them to operate more effectively in reduced visibility.

Cullercoats was the first station in the north of England to operate the new class of lifeboat.

Brian Reeds, the station's lifeboat operations manager, said: "Mr Burdon left this extremely generous legacy to the RNLI in memory of his brother Richard, who was lost at sea while serving with the Royal Navy in the 1940s.

"Our previous lifeboat, Edmund and Joan White, was also provided by a local man and we are very pleased to be maintaining a strong north-east connection between the RNLI at Cullercoats and our benefactors."
Posted by Cullercoats Lifeboat Online at 16:19