West Yorkshire Firefighter Dave Tattersfield and Tobermory RNLI volunteer crew member and plumber Tom Marsland are setting off on a marathon challenge to visit all 200 RNLI stations in Great Britain and Northern Ireland − in his plumber's van.

The two friends will cover more than 5,300 miles in Tom's plumber's van to raise money for the RNLI and The Fire Fighters Charity.

The 'Tom Plumb Station Run' will begin in Tobermory on Wednesday, 25th July and take in the UK coastline, including the Orkneys, Shetland, and Northern Ireland before returning to Tobermory in time for Lifeboat Day on 19th August 2012.

One of the highlights of the trip will be in London. To avoid Olympic Games traffic, Tom and Dave will be rowed up the River Thames by two South Wales firefighters who have previously rowed across the Atlantic as 'Team Atlantic Dash'. John Haskell and Jamie Windsor will give Tom and Dave a lift in their transatlantic rowing boat to access the RNLI's Thames stations at Tower, Chiswick, and Teddington.

As he made last minute preparations for the trip, Firefighter Tattersfield said: "We're both really excited about this trip although we know it won't be easy as we're travelling at the height of the school holidays and during the Olympic Games. The goal of raising money for two such worthy causes will keep us going!"

 

The Tom Plumb Station Run can be followed on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/tomplumbstationrun and donations can be made online at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/tomplumbstationrun 

 

Spirit of Fire 2012 

Tickets are now on sale for The Spirit of Fire Awards 2012. Sponsored by Infographics UK Ltd, the developer of FireWatch and FloSuite software for the Fire and Rescue Service, the annual awards will take place in London on Friday 19th October. To attend the ceremony, which recognises remarkable acts of bravery in the UK's fire community, as well as outstanding dedication to The Fire Fighters Charity, visit our website to book your tickets and hotel rooms.

 

Photo: Firefighter Dave Tattersfield and RNLI volunteer crew member Tom Marsland on board the Tobermory lifeboat together with Tobermory Womble

 

Posted July 20th, 2012 at 0835 by Andrew. Comment by emailing andrew.lynch@pavpub.com