'THE YEAR OF THE LIFEBOAT' is getting off to an excellent start, if the Central Appeals Committee's projects are anything to go by—although it was a great disappointment that owing to the fuel crisis, the Midnight Matinee at the Victoria Palace planned for March had to be postponed indefinitely. The Civic Heads Appeal is receiving very good and encouraging support, as is 'Operation Lifeboat', the national Scout project in which it is hoped that 200,000 boys will take part in various ways to raise the sum of £100,000 for a new lifeboat.

Reports are already coming in of an enthusiastic reception of this event, with plans being made to run all kinds of events. Sponsored cycle rides, either along the coast or, for inland troops, to the nearest point by the sea, are high onthe list. There is also talk of a balloon race.

Further, and almost the last, on the Tesco Green Shield stamp scheme is that the north have indeed equalled, as was hoped, the figure for the south, with another million and a quarter stamps collected.

The national sponsored swim has now reached £19,909: with only one or two more results to come, shall we reach the £20,000? The Jimmy Savile project involving schools has been a slow starter, but at last some results are coming in—with £947 to date. Also getting off the ground is the project mentioned in the January journal being organised by the Guides, Brownies and Rangers under the good auspices of the Guide Friendship Fund: their target is £5,000 for an inshore lifeboat.

Knit-ins have already raised the grand sum of £1,477.65, and not all results have yet come in by a long way.

There is still another nine months to go.

It is one of those projects where, be you ever so humble and retiring, a group can get together and have a jolly good evening—or even a morning—and not only raise money by being yourself sponsored, but also by the sale of the article made by putting together all the squares or strips knitted. It has been reported that after one knit-in the strips knitted were made into dog basketcovers, which sold like hot cakes! One well-known person was heard at Lifeboat House to say that it was such a very good idea—really money for old rope! Finally, one old item: the national balloon race final result is £2,587.81— how many remember the terrible job of blowing up all the balloons those years ago? And one new item: a proposed national darts tournament, details of which will appear in the summer journal if the preliminary investigations show that it is both feasible and moneyraising.

For those wishing to get in touch with the secretary or chairman of the Central Central Appeals Committee from outside the London area the dialling code is 0689, the number being 38209. Inside the London area the dialling is 66 38209.

The address is 126a High Street, Orpington, Kent—D.M.R..