BRISTOW HELICOPTERS have given to Aberdeen's 54' Arun BP Forties an AM VHP (air band) Pye Westminster radio, which allows direct communication between lifeboat and aircraft; the cheque for £350 was presented to Coxswain Albert Bird by John Odlin, general manager of Bristow Helicopters, last December. Bristows have close ties with the RNLI at Aberdeen, where one or two of their staff are active branch members.

* * * A visit to the Grace Darling Museum at Bamburgh—indeed to Bamburgh itself—must surely be in the nature of a pilgrimage for all those interested in lifeboat history. The museum, funded by public subscription, was built in 1938 on land provided by Lord Armstrong.

In it is preserved a remarkable collection of paintings, portraits, books, letters and all kinds of relics of the Darling family, with, as a central exhibit, their coble. And all this in the shadow of Bamburgh Castle, looking out over the Fame Islands to the North Sea, with all its memories of the trust created in 1772 on the death of Nathaniel Crewe, Bishop of Durham, of trustee Dr John Sharp and of Lionel Lukin's coble converted for lifesaving in 1786.

The museum is cherished—that is the only word for it—by Fred Whitton, honorary curator, and his helpers, and some indication of the number of people who come to see it each year is given by the fact that in 1976 it raised more than £4,000 for the RNLI.

* * * The Scottish Fisheries Museum at Anstruther has equipped its tea-room staff with RNLI pvc aprons; the design is appropriate and also forms an advertisement for the RNLI and for the souvenirs on sale at Anstruther lifeboat station, directly opposite.

* * * Drumreagh Presbyterian Church was packed to capacity on the evening of Sunday, November 21, for a lifeboat service organised by Coleraine branch ladies committee. Decorations were centred round a replica lifeboat and the lessons were read by Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Hezlet, a member of the Committee of Management, and John Scott of Portrush lifeboat crew.

* * * A new fund-raising branch formed last November has as its chairman John Lunch, CBE, VRD, the recently retired Director General of Port of London Authority; known as Manhood branch, it covers the area bounded by the villages of Itchenor, Birdham, East and West Wittering and Bracklesham, while Selscy and Siddlesham continue to be covered by Selsey station branch under the chairmanship of Mrs Graham Doggart.

Anyone in the area of these five villages who would like to help will be welcome; the honorary secretary is Macleod Wallace, Brevis, Roman Landing, West Wittering, Chichester, Sussex (telephone, West Wittering 2173)..