Lifeboat station donation in memory of former crewmember Les

He worked for the Ministry of Defence Police at the Campbeltown Oil Fuel Depot, before a 1970s promotion to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), where he remained for the last 30-40 years of his career, took the family to Garelochhead, where he was living when he passed away.

Les’s son Kevin, who lived in Campbeltown until he was five or six, before the family’s move, said: “Dad was lifeboat daft; he followed the station on Facebook, and he decided that was where he wanted any donations at his funeral to go.

“On behalf of all the family, I would like to thank each and every person who kindly made a donation; we think he would have been chuffed to bits with the amount raised.”

With lots of family still living in Campbeltown, the area remains very close to the family’s hearts and it is their intention to one day scatter Les’s ashes at Dunaverty.

“We used to visit Campbeltown three or four times a year to see family,” said Kevin. “We’ve got lots of cousins down there – my cousin David Conner and his son Ross are both currently part of the Campbeltown lifeboat crew.”

The family have requested that the money be used solely for the Campbeltown station, where it can make a tangible difference, rather than being put into the national RNLI pot.

A Campbeltown Lifeboat Station spokesperson said: “We would like to express our sincere thanks to the family of George (Les) Dixon for their very generous donation of an outstanding amount of £652.32 to RNLI Campbeltown.”

While the money hasn’t yet been specifically allocated, a donation of that size could allow the station to purchase four in-shore lifeboat thermal suits – enough for a full D-class lifeboat crew.

This would be particularly helpful for crews who continue to train weekly, even in freezing weather conditions.

The spokesperson added: “Thank you to the Dixon family for helping us to save lives at sea.

“In 2023, the running cost for the RNLI was £191,000,000 – all thanks to the kind donations from supporters, legacies, fundraising and much more.”