RIDLEY HOUSE, Felixstowe College, whose interest in the Life-boat Service is so great that it has formed a Ladies' Life-boat Guild within the House, has staged two competitions for the benefit of the Service. One is a general know- ledge competition, the other a word guessing competition.

* * * Shepherds who meet regularly in an inn in a small village on Exmoor have made it a rule that anyone who uses bad language must put a coin in a Life-boat Institution's collecting box.

By this means, and by donating the proceeds of their annual sheep dog trials, they have contributed more than £250 in the last four years. More of this money has came from the trials than from the bad language.

* * * A number of branches arranged carol singing in aid of the Life-boat Service last Christmas. The Forest Row branch were particularly active and collected £74 5s. 6d. To do this they went out singing every evening from the 17th to the 24th of December inclusive, and travelled more than a hundred miles by coach.

A well-known firm of industrial consultants, which runs training courses for business executives, has chosen as one of the subjects on which those attending the course have to speak, an appeal for funds for the Institution. After they have spoken collections arc made.

Mrs. A. Thackeray, of Leyton, pre- sented the Institution with a number of articles which she had made herself during a long illness.

Mrs. N. Feascy, of Bournemouth, who has long been in the habit of giving cups of tea to tradesmen who visit her, now asks them if they would care to put a penny in the Life-boat collecting box which she keeps at home.

* * * It has not yet been possible to issue to branches the mechanical collecting box referred to in the March 1954 number of the Journal, as consider- able difficulties in design have been encountered. It is hoped that these will soon be overcome..