Last week, Keith Leneghan, a former crew member from the Newcastle town lifeboat station in County Down, warned that Jersey’s relationship with the organisation could also be jeopardised if ongoing issues were not resolved. He spoke out after the 25-strong St Helier crew walked out in April following the dismissal of their coxswain Andy Hibbs.
Mr Leneghan said that after the Newcastle crew walked out 15 years ago over alleged bullying, the station now struggled to recruit volunteers.
However, a spokesman for the RNLI has since disputed his comments and has described the Newcastle station as ‘thriving’.
The spokesman said: ‘The comments attributed to a former volunteer lifeboat crew member, who has had no involvement with the lifeboat station for many years, have caused great upset and disappointment to the volunteer lifeboat crew, shore crew and station management at Newcastle RNLI.
‘They take great pride in their station and their lifesaving work in the community.’
He added: ‘There is no shortage of highly trained and experienced lifeboat crew and the support from the local community is incredibly humbling and valued by every volunteer at the station.’
