A Sandbach man is training to be a lifeboat member but before then, he will get a taste of the high seas when he takes part in the challenge of a lifetime. 

Dave Hursthouse has joined the Porthdinllaen lifeboat crew on the Llyn peninsula as a trainee all-weather lifeboat crew member. 

And next month (July), he is part of a 12-person crew taking part in a longboat challenge across the Irish Sea to celebrate two milestone anniversaries. 

The Irish challenge will celebrate the 160th anniversary of the first lifeboat to be stationed at Porthdinllaen and the 200th year of the RNLI. 

Dave said: "We are also raising much needed funds to allow us to continue to save lives at sea for another 160 years. 

"We're planning to take on the Irish Sea during July 2024 by rowing a Pembrokeshire longboat from Wicklow Lifeboat Station to Porthdinllaen Lifeboat Station - a distance of 54 nautical miles. 

Dave Hursthouse is training to become a lifeboat crew member. (Photo: Dave Hursthouse)

"We're hoping to do this on Saturday, July 13th weather permitting and if not then in the weeks either before or after. 

 "I'll be part of the 12-person crew rowing the boat. We'll have a yacht and a rigged hulled inflatable boat supporting us." 

The crew has set up a JustGiving page for their epic longboat event which has already raised £1,340. Donations can be made via this link here

Dave is excited about becoming a lifeboat crew member which involves going through extensive training. 

This includes six days intensive training at the RNLI's college in Poole in Dorset to learn about sea survival skills and lifeboat seamanship skills. 

But Dave is no stranger to learning new skills and taking part in challenges. A keen runner, he took part in the Pen Llyn Ultra Marathon last year as we told here

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