Becoming a member of the Donaghadee Heritage Preservation Company is a great way to contribute to the restoration of the Sir Samuel Kelly Lifeboat and to support the aims of our organisation. A quarterly e-newsletter enables you to chart our conservation activities and see the difference your money makes.
We have members from as far away as Canada and Australia, and from all over Ireland. The company is its members: you will shape what we do. Our members appoint the directors of the company and hold them to account at the annual general meeting in March, when share our annual report and accounts. Only people who are members can stand for appointment as Directors.
Becoming a member is straightforward. We ask you to fill in a short application form The board approves applications at its monthly meeting and we then ask you to invest £10 a year to keep your membership current. Please use the form below to apply.
Application for DHPC Membership
Thank you for your interest in becoming a member of Donaghadee Heritage Preservation Company. Your support is vital for the continuing restoration and maitenance of the historic Sir Samuel Kelly Lifeboat.
Our board meets once a month and so we will be back in touch as soon as your application has been reviewed.
Again, thank you for getting involved,
Stephen Cairns
Board Member
Donaghadee Heritage Preservation Company
Please try again later.
Become a Member
Our Board and Staff
The Board of Directors is elected by our members at the AGM. Currently, the Board consists of nine directors, who have experience in engineering, property management, boat-building, maritime navigation, archiving, human resources, law and finance.
Please bear with us until we upload the information regarding our other Board members. We are still developing this website.
This is a paragraph. Writing in paragraphs lets visitors find what they are looking for quickly and easily.
This is a paragraph. Writing in paragraphs lets visitors find what they are looking for quickly and easily.
This is a paragraph. Writing in paragraphs lets visitors find what they are looking for quickly and easily.
This is a paragraph. Writing in paragraphs lets visitors find what they are looking for quickly and easily.
This is a paragraph. Writing in paragraphs lets visitors find what they are looking for quickly and easily.
Name Lastname
Title
Name Lastname
Title
Name Lastname
Title
-
![]()
Alan Couser
ButtonAlan Couser, Chair.
In addition to his work with Donaghadee Heritage Preservation Company, Alan also chairs Donaghadee RNLI. He runs a small travel tour company.
-
![]()
Wesley Martin
ButtonWesley Martin is Vice Chair and Operations Director for the Sir Samuel Kelly project. He is a retired construction project director with more than 40 years' experience on $multimillion projects both locally and internationally.
-
![]()
Kit Chivers
ButtonKit Chivers is the Company Secretary, who keeps the company straight with the authorities, minutes the meetings and applies for the grants. A Treasury official for 30 years, he moved to Northern Ireland in 2003 to take up the post of Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice.
-
![]()
Shirley Cochrane
ButtonDonaghadee native Shirley Cochrane is passionate and knowledgeable about local history. She is the granddaughter Hugh Nelson Senior, the coxswain of the Sir Samuel Kelly Lifeboat at the time of the MV Princess Victoria disaster on 31 January 1953. Hugh Nelson Junior, another member of the courageous Donaghadee crew, was Shirley's father.
-
![]()
Stephen Cairns
ButtonStephen is a former head of music at Belfast High School and is a composer, conductor and trombonist. He is Director of Membership for Donaghadee Heritage Preservation Company.
Steve Rafferty
Steve is a retired transport planner and has worked on rail, sea, bus and air projects around the world. He has a passion for maritime, railway and transport history generally. Steve was a volunteer guide on the only three masted barque in the world to still carry passengers - James Craig in Sydney Harbour, the RRS Discovery in Dundee which took Scott and Shackleton to Antarctica in 1901-1903 and is now guiding both at the Sir Samuel Kelly and at the Railway Museum of Ireland at Whitehead. At the Donaghadee Heritage Preservation Company has been appointed as Director Rail and Maritime Heritage"
Liz Barron
Liz Barron, coach, educator and communications specialist, is Outreach Officer for Donaghadee Heritage Preservation Company. Talk to Liz to arrange a visit to the 'Kelly or to have an exhibition, presentation or workshop brought to your school or organisation, . Liz's position is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. liz.deeheritage@gmail.com
