Laura learned how to save lives from her parents and now is carrying on the tradition with her own family!
If anyone is ever in danger on our coasts, RNLI teams across the country are ready to help! Among the crew members preparing for a call are husband and wife Richard and Laura Gillespie from Bundoran RNLI in County Donegal.
The lifeboat has always been a part of family life for Laura. Her father Joe McNulty was one of the founders of the original Bundoran Inshore Rescue Service before it went on to be Bundoran RNLI 30 years ago, in 1994. Joe is now the station treasurer while Laura’s brother Kealan is a helm. Laura joined the crew in 2012 while Richard, following in his brother Brian’s footsteps, who has over 30 years volunteering in Bundoran station, became a crew member a couple of years earlier in 2010 and helm in 2020.
It was Laura’s father Joe who inspired her to get involved: ‘From when I was small, I have been down at the lifeboat station. I grew up with it. I remember as a child after there was a storm and a bit of damage to the station, the lifeboat was stored in our garage for a period and I would go out to play on it.’
With Richard and Laura now having three young children of their own – Matthew who is six, Eibhlin who is four and Darragh who is one, responding to the pager adds a new dynamic to both lifeboat and family life: ‘I took a break when having the children and have only recently returned to training but we have discussed taking it in turns when I am back fully. The children love coming to the station and seeing Mammy and Daddy in our full kit training or heading out on a shout. It makes me very proud and a bit nervous to think that one day they may join the crew in Bundoran as the next generation of the Gillespie and McNulty families saving lives in our area’.
As for what Laura finds most rewarding about being involved, she says: ‘I think it is the camaraderie among the station team that I enjoy most but also seeing the impact and how grateful people are when we do carry out a rescue. Sometimes we respond and it’s a small thing for us in our day, but when families come back and visit to say thanks it is then you realise the difference we make as volunteers.’
This National Volunteering Week, we’re celebrating the connections and relationships that are built and nurtured by volunteering. We’re building community together.
Thank you to Laura and Richard for sharing their story. Please email [email protected] if you’d like to share yours!
