Last year some boys belonging to the Bluebird Navigators visited the RNLI Depot at Boreham Wood with Mr Jim Garrard, of Kesgrove, Suffolk, their leader. Mr Garrard puts on his static displays for the RNLI all around the east coast and does some useful collecting for the lifeboats. In 1966 Mr Garrard was invited to join the Aideburgh branch of the RNLI and enrolled the boys as well. Since then they have averaged some 15 turnouts in a season, travelling as far as 50 miles from home to do it. Seamanship instruction is given to the boys on frequent trips to the Norfolk Broads, plus at least one complete holiday on the broads each year. They also have the opportunity to go afloat on board the Aldeburgh lifeboat when conditions permit.

In the presence of the Lord Lieutenant of Essex (Col. Sir John Ruggles Brise) the 66th Combat Support Squadron, USAF, exchanged flags with the Dagenham branch of the RNLI (Romford and Dagenham model boat club section).

Col. Reinbolt, the squadron commander, received the RNLI flag. Also present was Cmdr F. R. Guffick, QBE, RN (retd), and Lt-Cmdr R. Abbot, RNVR, president and vice-president respectively of the club. The squadron generously gave to the club a trailer for the half-scale model of a lifeboat they are building which will be used for publicity and fund-raising purposes in London. Forty young club members also attended the presentation and afterwards they and their families were taken on a conducted tour of the squadron.

from picture.A cheque for $50 has been forwarded to the Cardiff office of the RNLI from Mr Bing Crosby. This was at the request of the mv Tacoma City belonging to Sir William Reardon Smith & Sons, of Cardiff. Mr Crosby had offered a first drink in their bar to all officers, and the officers of the Tacoma City requested that the money be made out to the RNLI 'without whom the seas would be a much more dangerous place'. They were trying to decide on a suitable name for the officers' bar. Mr Crosby is apparently the 'first citizen' of Tacoma, so they asked his permission to call the bar The Old Groaner' or The Crooner'.

He gave permission to name the bar The Old Groaner'.

The Southend-on-Sea annual sailing barge match was sailed in fine weather on August 25, 1973, with an entry of 12 barges sailing in two classes. Proceeds from the sale of programmes (in the form of donations to the RNLI) exceeded all previous figures. The amount was £50.

Since Captain Howe became the honorary box secretary at Brixham, Devon, two years ago, responsible for the placing and emptying of lifeboat collecting boxes in the area, the revenue from these boxes has risen from £81.55 in 1974 to £611 in 1972 and £724 during this last year. Captain Howe hopes to collect over £1,000 during the 1974 150 anniversary year. Mrs Howe is now responsible for the organisation of the annual lifeboat week collection and a record figure of £605 was raised last year, so that, together. Captain and Mrs Howe helped to raise over £1,300 in Brixham in 1973.

The 420 children of the Newtown Junior School, Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside, are saving used postage stamps in aid of the RNLI. In July more than 10,000 were waiting in sacks at the school to be sent to the charity's London headquarters.

The children heard about the appeal and it was their idea to start collecting', said the headmaster, Mr R.F.

Glasswell. In a letter to the RNLI, Susan and Helen of Class 2, said: 'We thought thestoriesabout the award of medals very exciting. We had them read one morning after assembly. Those men were very brave. We did not know how very dangerous your work is. We had just thought of you going out and saving lives and coming back again. We never imagined you would be out all those hours.' On Redditch flag day last year Mr J. Graham, a member of the Salvation Army, who is 74 years of age, collected between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. £66.38 for the RNLI.

An outstanding gift has been made to the RNLI by the people of Angle and district in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It took the form of a cheque for £1,900 which has been used to buy the local lifeboat its own radar.

The lifeboat in question, the RichardVernon and Mary Garforth of Leeds, which is a 46' 9" Watson built in 1957, is to carry a plate inscribed: The radar set on this boat was paid for by the spontaneous generosity of local men and women, organisations and businesses. This remarkable gesture is very deeply appreciated by the Angle station of the RNLI.'Warwickshire ladies' lifeboat guild launched a new fund-raising project last year by presenting to the Draycote water sailing club a perpetual trophy to be raced for on spring holiday Monday.

The trophy was made in silver by Mr Barry Milner, a craftsman who works in Leamington Spa, and it depicts a scaled down model of the original Greathead lifeboat of 1790 on a mahogany base.

It was decided to call it the lifeboat trophy and this, together with the RNLI flag, is inscribed on a silver plate.A total of £600 was raised by the third Isle of Anglesey lifeboat ball, held at the Wylfa Nuclear Power Station, on October 12, 1973. During the evening the Station Superintendent, Mr Philip Holbrook, on behalf of the ball committee, presented a cheque for £300 to the RNLI Assistant Organising Secretary for Wales, Mr Jack Floater, and the ball chairman, Mr Peter Morgan, was able to present a cheque for a further £300 to Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Compston, KCB, member of the Committee of Management, at the Welsh lifeboat conference held in Shrewsbury later that month. The 1974 jubilee ball in Anglesey is to be held on October 11 at the officers' mess, RAF Valley.

At a 'pitch and putt' course in Llandudno, Mr W. R. Thomas and his men collect a big amount each year by putting aside for the RNLI any money given to them by players for looking after their coats and baggage while they go round the course. A good business is done in RNLI biro pens, too..