Diving clubs from across the northwest and beyond recently descended on the Isle of Anglesey to take part in 2026 Menai Boat Run.
Held as a pre-season ‘blast’ for club RIBs as well as a fundraiser for the RNLI, the Menai Boat Run was started by East Cheshire back in 2007, before Chester Sub-Aqua Club took it over in 2019. And its popularity shows no sign of waning.
This year’s event included 150 members and 30 boats from 19 different BSAC clubs from as far away as Luton. Also joining the flotilla on the Menai were two Atlantic class ex-RNLI lifeboats, including Blue Peter 1, which was originally bought by viewers of the iconic BBC1 children’s programme.
After the traditional fish and chip lunch in Beaumaris, participants gathered by the RNLI boatshed to present the cheque to the Beaumaris RNLI Launch Authority and shore crew.
The final total raised by the Menai Boat Run 2026 for the Beaumaris lifeboat has now topped £1,726.
Speaking after the event, Chester SAC’s Diving Officer (DO) Steve Clarkson, thanked everyone who took part. Steve, who has taken over coordinating the event from his club’s former DO, Dave Parry, said the boat run had become an important fundraiser as well as a great day out.
Steve explained:
Running the Beaumaris Lifeboat Station costs more than one hundred and fifty thousand pounds every year. Events like today don’t just raise funds — they keep boats fuelled, crews trained, and lifesaving work ready for the next call.
