Last Sunday on 8 September, the Vicar of St Hildeburgh's Parish Church, Hoylake and also the Chaplain for the town's RNLI Lifeboat station held his last service for the crews, staff, volunteers and families of the RNLI lifeboat stations at Hoylake and the station at West Kirby.
The event is held annually in the summer, which is a big event in both the Church's and the RNLI's calendar. It is a time for people to come together within the community to pray and give thanks for the great work that the volunteers do, giving their time freely, to save the lives of others.
The event is always followed by a BBQ in the Vicarage garden. This was the last time Revd Paul would officiate at this service before his retirement in January and the RNLI crews presented him with a framed photograph of the Liverpool Waterfront with their two lifeboats in the foreground.
The RNLI plays a major role in our small seaside community and Revd Paul is the chaplain to both stations. Our contribution to the artwork on the Pilgrim Porch glass doors at Chester Cathedral consists of a photo of the lifeboat crew in church on a Lifeboat Sunday.
Earlier this year we visited Revd Paul to find out more about his role as an RNLI Chaplain. The video is below and the full story can be found here A Chaplaincy with the RNLI