Inaugural car rally raises over £3,200 for local lifeboats

Inverness Classic car rally raises £3,238 for the RNLI

A Ferrari 360, an E type Jaguar and an Audi Quattro Coupe were among the 22 classic cars that set off on a 150 mile rally around Loch Ness last October in aid of the RNLI.

This inaugural rally was organised by the Inverness Loch Ness Rotary Club. The cars ranged in age from 67 years old to just a mere 14 years old. The drivers and their passengers all showed great enthusiasm taking their pride and joy out on the road to help raise vital funds for the RNLI.

Collecting as they went around the route, the drivers collected over £3,200 that is being split equally between the lifeboat stations as Kessock and Drumnadrochit on Loch Ness.

Each volunteer lifeboat crew will receive £1,619 from the Inverness Loch Ness Rotary Club.

On handing a cheque over the volunteers at RNLI Kessock, Ormond Smith of the Inverness Loch Ness Rotary Club said ‘for our first classic car rally we really wanted to support something that was of local importance to the club and a significant part of our community. We’re all aware of the vital work the volunteers of the RNLI at Kessock and Loch Ness do so we felt it important recognise that.’

On receiving the donation to RNLI Kessock, lifeboat operations manager, Gary Friedman said ‘We’re incredibly grateful for this incredibly generous donation. This donation is enough to train a volunteer for a year so it will make a considerable difference to our ability to save lives at sea in the Beauly and Moray Firths.’

The rally returns next year, this time including classic motorbikes. It will be held on 9 June and will be raising money for the Inverness branch of Children First.

Picture 1 shows Inverness Loch Ness Rotary Club members handing over donation to RNLI Kessock volunteers.

(L to R: Michelle Henley, Chris Silver (Secretary, Inverness Loch Ness Rotary), John Considine (President, Inverness Loch Ness Rotary), Ormond Smith (Rally Organiser, Inverness Loch Ness Rotary, Gary Friedman, Tom Booth and Jane Heir