A new building, 150 years of lifesaving and the naming of a lifeboat: all historic milestones celebrated at Porthdinllaen Lifeboat Station, Gwynedd, in the Autumn.

BBC Broadcaster David Dimbleby was guest of honour at the triple celebration, as his close friend John D Spicer left a gift in his Will that helped to fund the station’s Tamar class lifeboat. RNLI Chairman Charles Hunter-Pease officially opened the £9.8M slipway station and presented an RNLI Vellum award to mark a century and a half of launching to the rescue.

Then came the lifeboat naming ceremony. ‘John Spicer was in awe of the work of the RNLI’s volunteer crews,’ said David Dimbleby. ‘The charity is heavily reliant on people giving so generously to ensure lives can be saved in their memory. This is a fantastic legacy and one I know John would be incredibly proud of.’ Further funding for the boat and boathouse was provided by several other generous legacies together with contributions from the local community and public. For more on the station’s innovative heating system, see page 24.