St Davids RNLI receive generous donation from St Davids Gin and Kitchen
St Davids RNLI receive generous donation from St Davids Gin and Kitchen
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A seaweed spiced rum, developed by local RNLI supporters in honour of a St Davids lifeboat tragedy, has brought a generous donation to the charity.
St Davids Gin and Kitchen have donated 5% of sales of their first small batch of St Davids Seaweed Spiced Rum to St Davids lifeboat station.
‘The Gem’ Edition Rum is inspired by the remarkable and courageous story of Sidney Mortimer. When the 12 oared sail assisted lifeboat with 15 crew launched to rescue the Democrat during a violent storm on October 13 1910, ‘The Gem’ successfully rescued the three sailors but was smashed against the notorious “The Bitches” reef, lost to the sea along with three of her crew. The survivors clung to the rocks for fourteen hours, eventually drying a box of matches and setting ablaze their oilskins to signal shore.
Sidney Mortimer was a teenage fisherman with a 20 foot fishing boat who selflessly went to the aid of the shipwrecked survivors. With a skeleton crew, he made two trips in adverse weather conditions to bring the surviving 12 RNLI crewmen and three casualties ashore.
Sidney would later be awarded the RNLI Silver Medal and would go on to become the RNLI's youngest coxswain at the age of just 18.
Neil Walsh, owner of St Davids Gin and Kitchen, said: ‘It is our pleasure and honour to donate £1000 from the sales of our very first small batch of Rum to St Davids Lifeboat Station. Having been born and raised in St Davids, I know the lives and livelihoods of the community have historically been, and continue to be, intertwined with the unforgiving seas of the Atlantic.
The men and women of St Davids lifeboat station provide essential safety for seafarers, voyagers and visitors, and have done so for over 150 years. I wanted to create a premium rum with a connection to the sea and commemorate the lifeboat station. We’re delighted to make this donation to the charity and have also gifted a souvenir tot glass to each of the crew.’
Will Chant, RNLI Coxswain for St Davids RNLI lifeboat, said: ‘On behalf of the station I’d like to thank Neil and his team at St Davids Gin and Kitchen for not only this generous donation but also commemorating one of our stations historic lifeboats ‘The Gem’.
The disaster claimed the life of my great great uncle and two other lifeboat crew. We will all be able to raise a glass to all those who’ve paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of service.’
St Davids RNLI receive generous donation from St Davids Gin and Kitchen
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