DIGNITARIES and more than 200 guests gathered in New Quay over the weekend to celebrate the double naming and dedication ceremony of its lifeboats.

Guests on Saturday included His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Dyfed, Miss Sara Edwards, the High Sheriff of Dyfed, Helen Jones, and the Chief Executive of the RNLI, Mark Dowie.

Last June, New Quay’s new Shannon class all-weather lifeboat, the Roy Barker V, funded by the legacy of Mr Frederick Roy Barker, arrived on station with its state-of-the-art SLARS (Shannon Launch and Recovery System) unit.

New QUay RNLI
New Quay RNLI crew with the Shannon class lifeboat Roy Barker V (New Quay RNLI)

Then in January of this year, New Quay’s brand new D class inshore lifeboat, the Will Morgan, funded by a local family arrived to join the family.

Roger Couch, New Quay RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said: ‘We’ve had an extremely busy year welcoming two new lifeboats, and yesterday was a great day of celebration at the official naming ceremony and dedication service for both of our lifeboats.

“The ceremony gave us a unique opportunity to say a very big thank you to the donors.”

Following the acceptance, Rev Matthew Baynham led the Service of Dedication. There was singing and then the tradition of pouring champagne over the lifeboats.