The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Lifeboat hero helps snap up cash with stunning calendar
AFife RNLI volunteer crew member has used his love of photography and his talents for spotting a good picture opportunity to raise much-needed funds for his local lifeboat station.
Donnie Maclean, who began volunteering at the local RNLI station in early 2020, is a member of the shorecrew and trainee tractor driver at Kinghorn lifeboat station.
In between emergency rescue call-outs, during downtime at the station, Donnie has been putting his amateur photographic skills to good use by capturing a series of stunning landscape images of the Kinghorn Beach area.
His talent behind the lens has helped raise around £500 of funds for the station after a calendar of 12 of his most accomplished shots sold out in days.
The dozen images featured include local beachscapes, the Firth of Forth and others of life on Kinghorn lifeboat.
Donnie said the calendar had come about after posting some of his favourite photos on social media. He explained: “The feedback I was getting was very positive, so I thought it would be a good idea to pull the best ones together for a calendar.”
Donnie decided to become an RNLI volunteer after being dramatically rescued himself a few years ago following an emergency.
He said: “I’m hugely passionate about raising funds for the RNLI, as I was actually rescued by the RNLI lifeboat on Loch Ness during a kayaking endurance feat I was attempting in 2016.
“One of my fellow athletes was knocked into the water when the wind and swell got up at a pinch point about half way down the loch,” said Donnie,
“I went to help him and ended up getting knocked into the water too.
“The waves were too high for us to be able to get back into the kayaks, and we were right in the middle, so we were really struggling.
“He was really suffering with the cold water, so we radioed for the lifeboat, and they were amazing.”
Donnie said he’s loving his time at Kinghorn station, which has operated from the small Fife coastal village since 1965.
One of two RNLI stations along the Fife coast, along with Anstruther, volunteers at Kinghorn were kept busy with more than 100 emergency shouts during 2020.
Due to the success of the calendar, which has taken Donnie and his colleagues by surprise, plans are already afoot to produce a follow-up in 2022, as long as Donnie can keep capturing more stunning imagery of the Fife coastline.
“I’m hugely passionate about raising funds
Few would argue the Fife coastline is among the most breathtakingly beautiful areas of Scotland.
As volunteer with the RNLI, Donnie Maclean is in the relatively privileged position of seeing the coves, bays and cliff from angles others cannot.
Thankfully, he is equally adept behind the camera lens as he is at saving lives.
His new calendar is a joy to behold and vitally, has raised funds for the lifeboat service.
Donnie’s focus on Fife has proved a boon for us all.