On 23 April Premier Marinas in collaboration with pyrotechnic distress signal manufacturer, Pains Wessex and on-site businesses at Universal Marina held a successful Safety Day raising over £1K for the RNLI, Wet Wheels Foundation Sail2Help and Jubilee Sailing Trust.
It was a chance for boat owners to bring along out-of-date flares, have them checked and disposed of safely. Pains Wessex reported taking a total of 1,419 flares, with the oldest flare dating back to the 1960s.
The event took place outside of Aspire Boat Chandlery, who were hosting a charity pop-up tea, coffee, and cake station and selling replacement flares. The RNLI was also on hand – inspecting 95 lifejackets in total, with only a dozen deemed safe to use after inspection.
The In Our Element rowing team were present at the event ahead of their upcoming Atlantic rowing challenge in December. Displaying their Ocean Rowing boat and fielding questions from the event’s supportive guests, as well as conducting their own safety research as they began purchasing the necessary equipment to keep them safe during the crossing.
“We were overwhelmed with the quantity of expired flares that were returned to us and the positive response of the recently launched refill flare packs. Events like these present the perfect opportunity to not only dispose of your pyrotechnics safely but also speak to the experts to have all your pyro questions answered and pick up a replacement set at a special on the day price, all whilst raising money for some well deserving charities,” said Ally Ogg, Sales Executive, Wescom Group.
An event to highlight Universal Marina’s diverse businesses, including Aboard Boat Coaching and Knight Marine, General Manager of Universal, Graham Bristowe, was pleased with the turnout for the marina’s inaugural event: “We have a fantastic tenant community here at Universal and we wanted to promote their services while also engaging our berth holders with a much-needed life-jacket clinic and flares disposal. Everyone put in a lot of effort to make it a success, and our customers and guests gave generously.”
