The daughter of a tireless fundraiser said staging the annual Mumbles raft race in support of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) felt "unpalatable" because the all-weather lifeboat station at the end Mumbles Pier had been out of action for months. Jane Anderson called on the pier owners and the RNLI to find a way forward after the lifeboat charity relocated its Tamar-class vessel from the boathouse, where visitors can normally get a close-up look, to a mooring in the sea nearby.
The RNLI said it had taken the decision after a structural engineer inspection in January identified issues with the pier structure. The charity also closed its visitor centre and shop adjacent to where the lifeboat is usually kept. It said the effect on lifeboat operations was minimal and that it was working closely with Ameco, the owners of the pier, on the long-term future. Ameco said it was hopeful of restarting a two decade-long restoration of the pier early next year.
Mrs Anderson said volunteers like her late father, Bill Barrington, had raised large sums of money for the £11.7 million boathouse and £2.7 million Tamar-class vessel, but that further fundraising for the Mumbles RNLI at the raft race on August 6 didn't feel right. "The local community and volunteers are helpless and after five months, it has became the norm to see the lifeboat in the water," she said.
