The Cornish Lithium Community Fund delivers a new rescue boat for Porthtowan Surf Life-Saving Club

A grant from the Cornish Lithium Community FundA sum of money made available for grant making, often with specific criteria/conditions. enabled Porthtowan Surf Life-Saving Club to purchase a new inshore rescue boat, transforming water safety across the north Cornwall coast. The £2,000 grant contributed 50% of the total costs for the rescue boat, trailer, 25hp outboard Mariner engine and fuel tank. The projectA piece of work that delivers an output. engaged 12 volunteers and directly benefited 33 people across Porthtowan, St Agnes, Mawla, Mithian, and Portreath.

The new rescue boat has significantly improved water safety, enabling faster and more reliable responses from trained volunteers. Local families and visitors feel more secure knowing that volunteers now have the right equipment to save lives. Beyond safety, the boat has strengthened community spirit, with more people becoming involved in volunteering and supporting local training initiatives.

With improved training capacity, eight additional volunteers have committed to weekly training sessions, strengthening the team and ensuring greater safety cover. Two volunteers have also completed specialist maintenance courses, providing in-house expertise to keep the boat in excellent condition. These developments have boosted skills, commitment, and teamwork while fostering community resilience across the area.

An unexpected benefit of the new equipment has been the club’s ability to provide fully trained safety crews at every surf life saving event this season. The expanded team supported competitions at Portreath, Perranporth, Fistral, Towan Beach and many more venues. This visible community support has strengthened partnerships with local surf life saving clubs and reassured families and competitors about their safety during high-profile events.

One member whose life has been transformed by the opportunities created through the grant is Ruby, a dedicated 16-year-old volunteer. This summer, Ruby achieved her Inshore Rescue Boat Crew qualification, a remarkable accomplishment at her age. Soon after, she put her training into action by providing safety cover at the Cornwall Junior Surf Life Saving Championships in Portreath. Despite particularly challenging conditions, Ruby worked with calm professionalism to support her team and ensure competitors’ safety. Her achievement highlights not only her personal growth and confidence but also inspires younger members, demonstrating the positive impact of investment in youth development.

The rescue boat represents not just a lifeline in emergencies, but also a symbol of care, resilience, and community togetherness along Cornwall’s coastline.

For more information about Porthtowan Surf Life-Saving Club visit porthtowanslsc.com

About the Fund

The Cornish Lithium Community Fund awards grants of between £250 and £2,500 to support the work of local clubs, charities and activity groups that seek to make a positive difference in the Company’s project areas. These currently include Blackwater, Carharrack, Chacewater, Gwennap, St Agnes, St Day, Twelveheads and china clay country around St Austell. The next funding round opens in March 2025.

This is one of more than 12 Community Benefit Funds managed by Cornwall Community Foundation.

If you are a community group looking for funding, please view our available grants.

If you are looking to support the Cornwall Community Foundation with a donation, go to our online donation page.