Since 1972, the Crystal Vaudeville Company, made up of local amateurs, has put on three successful seasons of Old Tyme Music Hall shows in Aberystwyth. All proceeds go to charity, and in 1974, for the second time, a donation was made to the RNLI. On October 20 Mrs Peggy Morgan, chairman of the company, handed a cheque for £60 to Gwyn Martin, honorary secretary of Aberystwyth branch.

Dorridge Junior School's 1974 special effort, with sponsored walks, games, raffles and competitions, made £94.50 for the Knowle and Dorridge ladies' guild.

Active help for the RNLI from two schools in the south east: a grand £600 was raised by pupils, their families and staff of Ardingly College by a sponsored swim held last June in aid of the Jimmy Savile project to raise £100,000 for a youth lifeboat—17 of the boys swam a distance of more than 2| miles; and, with a sponsored walk and angling competition, Herbert Shiner School, Petworth, made an excellent £845 Pupils of Milverton Junior School, Leamington Spa, have been swimming, too. Each child was sponsored by their families for the distance they could swim in 15 minutes; £200 of the amount they raised was given to the local branch of the RNLI.

From the sale of his book The Flamborough Lifeboats, Ralph S.Fawcett has raised £475 for Flamborough station. Copies of the book are still available, price 25p (postage 7p), from the author at 74 Lime Grove, Draycott, Derby DE7 3NS.Members of Edgbaston and Harborne guild have been very successful with their anniversary year special effort.

With a buffet supper, bridge luncheon, barbecue supper and coffee mornings, plus the collection of waste paper, they have overshot their target of £1,000 and by the autumn had already reached £1,011.70.

First day covers of the two stamps issued by the Irish Post Office to commemorate the centenary of the Irish Rugby Football Union have very kindly been signed personally by Willie John McBride, Lions and Irish XV captain.

They are available, price £2, from RNLI, 33 Saintfield Road, Belfast BT8 4AF.

By collecting a regular 1 p a week from their friends and neighbours, three senior citizens of Bridgetown, Miss Brough, Mrs Davenport and Mrs Chilton have made £30.75 for the Cannock branch.

Following an open-air lifeboat 'Songs of Praise' from Walmer, broadcast on September 1, Goodwin Sands and Downs branch received letters from all over the country, including Northern Ireland. Donations amounted to £109.17, and there were many messages for former Coxswain Freddie Upton and former Mechanic Percy Cavell, who took part in the broadcast.

Coventry Cathedral devoted its project for the month of August, 1974, to the RNL.I. Six local flower clubs combined to stage a Flower Festival in lifeboat colours to coincide with a Service of Thanksgiving, attended by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress. By the autumn of 'The Year of the lifeboat' Coventry ladies' guild had raised £1,150.

More excellent 1974 flag day results: Tenby and Saundersfoot, with collections, sale of souvenirs and other events, raised £1,386.23; Petersfield had an all-time record of £561.59; and Poole succeeded in raising £1,770.

At a social gathering at St Lawrence Inn on October 12, a cheque for £520 was presented to divisional inspector Michael Pennell for the RNLI. It had been collected by the small community of Stone and St Lawrence on the River Blackwater, Essex, by a Harvest Festival, a produce sale by Dengie and District Gardening Club, the raffle of a doll dressed by Mrs J. Bache, by various individual efforts and from the support of seasonal visitors.YOU NEVER CAN TELL . . .

From the 'Bournemouth Times', March 22, 1974: 'The amazing story of the flagseller who made £10,000 without selling one flag was disclosed at a Bournemouth meeting. She was standing in the rain in Bournemouth and nobody was buying from her tray of RNLI flags.

But, unknown to her, a woman was watching from the window of a hotel. And the scene so touched the heart of the wealthy lady that she wrote off to her solicitor. The result was eventually a £10,000 legacy to the RNLI.'.