The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are pleased to announce their final fundraising total of just over £12k for Mayor’s charity RNLI.

They have both organised a range of fundraising events since they both took up their posts in June 2023, and as they prepare to hand over their roles to the incoming Mayor and Deputy Mayor, Councillor Callaghan and Councillor McKillop have both reflected on just how much the charity means to them.

Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Councillor Steven Callaghan said: “I am so very pleased to be able to hand over this fantastic sum of money to RNLI and I would like to thank Councillor McKillop for supporting these fundraising efforts.

“I knew when I was appointed Mayor last year that the RNLI would be the charity I would want to support, as a coastal Borough it was important to me to not only raise the charity’s profile and of course raise money for them; but also, to thank them for the lifesaving work they do.

“Thank you to every person who has supported myself and the Deputy Mayor to raise these funds which will help the charity continue to save lives.”

The fundraising efforts for RNLI raised £12,285.20 and a cheque was handed over to RNLI staff member Neal Somerville Face to Face Manager for Ireland on Monday 3rd June.

Neal thanked the Mayor and Deputy Mayor saying “It has been a pleasure working with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor over their term of office and to see the amazing work they have done to not only raise money for our lifesaving work but also to see them promoting the RNLI in their community.

“Every penny raised helps us to continue to save lives at sea and in this our 200th year will help us to plan ahead. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the volunteers at Portrush and Red Bay RNLI for all the work they have put in to support this charity partnership over the last year.”

During their time in office the Mayor and Deputy Mayor have held coffee mornings and afternoon tea, a concert in Roe Valley Arts Centre and a sponsored walk alongside many other events and they are both very grateful for the public support,

Deputy Mayor Councillor Margaret-Anne McKillop added: “Thank you to the Mayor for choosing a charity so close to my own heart, as a family we will never forget what the RNLI has done for us. I feel very proud of the amount we have raised I would like to thank Conor Mc Afee and Shauna Mc Kergan from Redbay for all their help over the last year and also thank every person who helped make our events possible.”

To read more about the RNLI visit https://rnli.org/