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Hovercraft Club raise funds for the Lifeboat Trust
Members of the Hovercraft Club of Great Britain recently participated in a charity event in aid of Portishead Inshore Lifeboat, and the event is also believed to be the first hovercraft ever seen under the Suspension Bridge.
Approximately 10 craft launched from the slipway at Shirehampton Sailing Club and, with the Lord Mayor Elect, Councillor Colin Smith on the red craft, travelled up the River Avon to Bristol, stopping briefly at Cumberland Basin. They then proceeded up The Cut to Bath Road Bridge before returning to Cumberland Basin and then Shirehampton.
Hovercraft drivers donated to the charity Portishead Lifeboat Trust and also asked for sponsorship. This lifeboat is not part of the RNLI, so as club members operate in the Bristol Channel and are dependent on Portishead Lifeboat in the event of trouble, they decided to raise money for the charity. For anyone unlucky enough to fall in the tidal Avon, it is Portishead Lifeboat who come to the rescue.
Good fun was had by all, with a staggering £1,300 raised for the Lifeboat Trust. Further donations may be made at www.justgiving.com/hovercraft.
Thanks to Ross Floyd (OC) and Peter Stanley (OC) for providing this story.
14 June 2010
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