ONE Jersey man’s decades of dedication to the RNLI have turned into an £84,000 boost for the charity after a trust matched every pound he has raised since 1991.
Over the years, Colin Shales has raised £42,000 for RNLI Jersey by selling handcrafted items at St Catherine’s in support of the rescue charity.
In recognition of his commitment, the Dorothy Whitney Elmhirst Trust – a UK charity established in 1997 to support education, environmental, and community causes in the UK and the Channel Islands – has now matched his donation.
The combined contribution of £84,000 represents a significant investment into RNLI’s mission to save lives at sea, where the team has saved over 142,700 lives since it was founded in 1824, the charity said.
Jonathan Jones, the lifeboat operations manager for the RNLI St Catherine’s station, described “Colin’s commitment over the last three decades [as] nothing short of extraordinary”.
“To devote so much of his time to supporting our volunteer crews is truly inspiring,” he continued.
“We are incredibly grateful not only to Colin for his years of dedication but also to The Dorothy Whitney Elmhirst Trust for this exceptional gesture of matching the total raised so far by Colin and his late wife, Lillian.
“Together, these contributions will help ensure our local volunteer lifeboat crews have the equipment, training, and resources they need to continue saving lives at sea.”
