On Monday, 9 May, the family of 34-year-old John Slack, who died after getting into difficulties while kayaking off Tywyn beach last May, came to Aberdyfi to make the donation.
John Slack’s father, Robert, paid tribute to the lifeboat crew.
He said: “The money has been collected by family, friends and relatives. We all wanted to show our appreciation to everyone and especially Aberdyfi Lifeboat crew for doing everything they could to try and save John exactly a year ago today.
“John knew the area well and was an experienced windsurfer and kayaker but sadly on that day he got into difficulties in the water and was not able to survive despite valiant efforts to save him. This is a sad time for our family and all John’s many friends - both here and at home in Birmingham - but giving this donation is our way of saying thank you for the great work that the RNLI do all year round.”
Aberdyfi lifeboat fundraising co-ordinator, Beth Edwards said: “The RNLI relies entirely on fundraising and kind donations. Here in Aberdyfi we are hugely grateful to John’s family and friends for this generous donation and for thinking of us during their darkest of times.”
A GoFundMe page set up at the time of John’s death to raise money for those who tried to save him explains: “As most of you by now are aware we sadly lost our beloved brother, son, dad and uncle John Robert Slack to a tragic kayaking accident at the age of 34.
“In order to say thank you to the emergency teams that helped, the family of John would like to give back to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Welsh Ambulance Service and Welsh Air Ambulance who all rapidly responded to the accident and tried their hardest to give John the best chance they could.
“As a family we understand that all the above cost a lot to come out to accidents and emergencies so we would like to give back as much as we can in order for them to keep up the amazing work they do. Please come together with us to help raise as much money as possible to enable the emergency services to continue saving as many lives as possible.”
The page has raised £680 so far. To donate, visit https://uk.gofundme.com/f/wqc74-in-loving-memory-of-john-robert-slack?