A 'heady' tradition was upheld in double measure at Aberdeen in May when the maiden catch of the Shetland seine-net boat Evening Star was auctioned.

Traditionally, the buyer of the first box offish from a maiden catch receives a new hat, but fish salesmen P. andj.johnstone Ltd. offered two hats - one to each of the buyers of the first boxes of haddock and whiting. The gross proceeds, £21 us. - again by tradition offered to charity - went to the Lerwick branch of the R.N.L.I.

Recently a lady who was wrongfully slandered threatened to sue unless the slanderer gave a written apology and donation to the R.N.L.I. The lady got the written apology. And the Institution got the donation - £5.

Miss Joyce Davey, of Maple Road, Surbiton, Surrey, has sent a cheque for £5 8s.

as a gift to the Institution. She says: 'When turning out some oddments a few days ago it occurred to me that it would be a good idea to sett the gold contained in a couple of worn-out watches and a gold chain, and send the proceeds to the Institution. I have not sold anything like this before and had no idea what it would fetch - in fact I vaguely expected something like £i.' Are you able to collect overseas postage stamps, especially the parcel and higher value ones ? If so, Mr. R. C. Drew, of 78 Chessington Avenue, Bexleyheath, Kent, would like to hear from you. With the backing of the R.N.L.I., he is writing to firms with a good export trade, to banks and to any organizations with foreign contacts, asking them to let him have their overseas stamps. He then makes them up into sets and sells them to various philatelic societies for resale - and the Institution benefits.

The Southend (Essex} branch of the R.N.L.I. went in for all-in wrestling at Southend in March and shared the proceeds — the event also included a supper dance - with the Jewish National Federation. Total takings were about £1,500 of which £750 went to the Institution. Since then the branch has organized other fund-raising functions, including a gymkhana which made between £100 and £150.

Three hundred horses took part.

The R.N.L.I. has received a cheque for £50 'under rather strange circumstances'.

Mr. D. W. Crosse, of Cummins Diesel Sales & Service Ltd., London, writes: 'It became vitally important for a customer to have equipment from us by a given date, which seemed to the customer - and indeed I must admit to ourselves - an almost impossible task. However, we embarked on this exercise with the somewhat unusual comment from the customer to the effect that, if we could complete the job on the due date, he would be prepared to donate £50 to any charity we cared to nominate.

As things worked out, our engineers were able to comply with his request, and as a result he forwarded the £50 to us.' When Mr. Mike Honnor, landlord of the Chapelhay Tavern, Weymouth, won the George Stanley Knock-out Cup - a darts trophy exclusive to publicans - he gave the £80 cheque to the Weymouth life-boat. Fifty pounds was paid to local branch funds and £30 was used to buy a loud hailer and an electric kettle. Afterwards he invited the Weymouth life-boat crew to his tavern for a friendly game of darts with his regulars..