Mablethorpe RNLI lifeboat station’s new D-class inshore lifeboat was officially named on Saturday (17 June 2006) by the man who raised the money to buy it.

William Hadley, from Essex, is a keen sailor and took part in a number of fundraising events in order to buy a lifeboat for the RNLI.

The new lifeboat, named The William Hadley, is a newly-updated version of the D-class, called an IB1. It has a top speed of 25 knots - five knots faster than the old D-class - and will enable Mablethorpe’s volunteer lifeboat crew to reach casualties faster than ever before, enhancing search and rescue cover off the Lincolnshire coast.

Mr Hadley, who attended the naming ceremony with his wife Liesl and four children, decided to help the lifeboat charity when he found out it was funded entirely by donations from the public. He ran four London Marathons and did a Lands End to John O’Groats bike ride to raise the £25,000 needed to fund the lifeboat.

He said: ‘The RNLI volunteer crews turn out regardless of who has called and at what time of day or night. Sometimes, at great personal danger, the crew will attend a callout in the foulest of weather or go to the aid of a person who has ventured out not fully prepared. They expect no thanks, make no charge and send no bills.

‘The boat is just a boat, it would be nothing without the brave men and women who take to sea in it as well as the support crew who work behind the scenes to ensure that help is there whenever it is needed.’

During the naming ceremony, the lifeboat was officially accepted by Mablethorpe RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, Bill Tuplin.

He added: ‘We are so grateful to Mr Hadley for his generous donation. Without people like him, lifeboat crews and all the other RNLI volunteers who work so hard would not be able continue their life saving work.’