From 7th to 10th September, 20 intrepid cyclists will take on The Tour de Dyfed & West Glamorgan raising money for the RNLI and in honour of Audrey Lawson Johnston, the youngest survivor of the Lusitania disaster.

This punishing 190 mile ride from Swansea to New Quay will see the team visit each of the 10 active RNLI stations along the way: Mumbles, Horton & Port Eynon, Burry Port, Tenby, Angle, Little Haven, St Davids, Fishguard, Cardigan, finishing at New Quay.

It’s gruelling, unforgiving terrain involving 60+ miles per day of riding and over 12,000 ft of climbing for the entire journey 😬. That’s a LOT of climbing.

The money raised will be shared equally between Tower and New Quay Lifeboat stations. Volunteer crews at New Quay have been saving lives at sea off the coast of Ceredigion since 1864. Tower Lifeboat Station, at Waterloo Bridge on the Thames, is the busiest in the entire RNLI network, launching more than 10,000 times since opening in 2002. The RNLI receives no government funding and relies on public generosity to provide these vital services.

For more details about the Tour, and to find out how you could take part, please visit:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WWABzshnM8_KD3Ke-7JQp7gx5V4gZeR4/view?usp=drive_link

You can also email Mark Hudson at mohudson@live.com

Audrey's Story

Audrey Lawson Johnston (née Warren Pearl) is part of New Quay Lifeboat station folklore. She was a 3-month-old baby travelling with her family from New York to Liverpool on the RMS Lusitania when it was torpedoed by a German U-Boat off the Old Head of Kinsale on 7th May 1915. Nearly 1200 souls were lost in the controversial sinking, still steeped in intrigue to this day, and which eventually convinced the Americans to enter the war. Hauled into a ship’s lifeboat and saved from drowning on that day, Audrey supported the RNLI throughout her life. Jointly with her brother, Perky, she raised enough money to launch a new lifeboat at New Quay in 2004 - The Amy Lea, named after their mother who was also a survivor of the tragedy, and who had herself spent her life raising money for the lifeboats. When The Amy Lea was retired in 2013, Audrey’s family raised further funds for a lifeboat named after her - The Audrey LJ. After serving the community of New Quay for 10 years, The Audrey LJ will be retired in 2023. This ride is a tribute to Audrey and the wonderful story of someone who was saved from drowning at sea and through her dedication, in turn, helped the RNLI to do the same for others…

For more information on this story: https://rnli.org/magazine/magazine-featured-list/2015/april/100-years-ago-lusitania-sinks