Darts tournament hits bullseye raising over £4,000 for Hoylake RNLI

Barry Collister sadly passed away in April 2024 at the age of 77. He lived in Hoylake his whole life and was well known in the community, including as a regular at his favourite pub The Lake, where he was captain of the darts team for over 40 years. The pub and its patrons have supported Hoylake RNLI for many decades and Barry himself had been a keen fundraiser for local charities with a passion for helping others.

Following his passing, Barry’s sons Joe and Jack wanted to commemorate their father’s life in a positive way. They decided to organise a charitable fundraiser to mark the first anniversary of his passing, which naturally had to be held at The Lake and involve darts - the Barry Collister Memorial Cup was born, with all funds raised supporting Hoylake RNLI.

The inaugural tournament was held on Saturday 12 April, with 32 people of all abilities stepping up to the oche. Many of the current Lake darts team, as well as Barry’s family, close friends and regulars from the pub, took part. After an exciting afternoon of darts and in a fitting tribute to Barry, the final ended up being contested by his sons Jack and Joe. The Memorial Cup ultimately went to Joe, while Jack took home the trophy for highest checkout after taking out 84 in his semi-final.

Alongside the tournament, a raffle was held with some fantastic prizes kindly donated by local businesses and attractions, including Liverpool FC, the Blue Planet Aquarium, 21st Amendment and The Ship Inn in Hoylake. Sales from raffle tickets, entry fees to the tournament, cash donations and a generous contribution from West Wallasey Fleet Hire meant that a remarkable total of £4,350.20 was raised in Barry’s Collister’s memory.

The donation was presented at Hoylake RNLI lifeboat station on Monday 21 April, with tournament winner Joe Collister and his partner Laura Marsden handing the funds to Second Coxswain Matt Pownall-Jones.

Laura, who helped to organise the event, said: ‘As Hoylake was so special to Barry, he knew the importance of Hoylake RNLI to the local community. He would often take his sons to the lifeboat days and took them every year to watch the Tug of War on Boxing Day. He always supported any fundraising they did, and we knew he would love us to fundraise for the RNLI in his memory. I hope we did him proud.’

Matt Pownall-Jones said: ‘On behalf of us all at Hoylake RNLI, we want to thank Barry Collister’s family, friends and everyone who supported and took part in the darts tournament for their incredible support for their local lifeboat station. As the charity that saves lives at sea, the RNLI relies on the generosity of donors, and we know what a fitting tribute to Barry’s memory this fundraising effort has been. Every penny will go to help our volunteer crews, particularly as we head into the busy summer season.’

Media contacts

For more information, please contact:

Dan Whiteley, Hoylake RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer on 07799 851 316 or email [email protected]

Claire Fitzpatrick-Smith, RNLI Regional Communications Manager on 07977 728 315 or email [email protected]

RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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