HER MAJESTY Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Patron of the Institution, will be the guest of honour at this year's annual presentation of awards meeting on May 15. She will address the meeting and present the awards for gallantry and long, outstanding service.

It will be a particular pleasure to welcome the Queen Mother in this the RNLI's 160th anniversary year because she has herself been associated with the lifeboat service for 60 of those memorable years. Her Majesty's support, always warm and generous, began in the RNLI's centenary year, 1924; on lifeboat day, May 20, just a little over a year after their marriage, Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of York, later to become King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, together toured the collection depots in Kensington, Fulham, the City of London and the West End.

Since that time the Queen Mother has given the Institution boundless support, standing alongside lifeboat people both in times of great sorrow and of great joy. Over the years, as well as taking part in many other lifeboat occasions, Her Majesty has named lifeboats at Montrose, Arbroath, Thurso, St Helier and Dover. Thanks and congratulations Everybody in the RNLI is conscious of the tremendous efforts made by fund raisers throughout Great Britain and Ireland to provide the lifeboatmen with the finest boat and equipment possible.

The Committee of Management, at its meeting in November last year, heard a report of fund-raising results and resolved: ' That the thanks and congratulations of the Committee be extended to voluntary workers and fund raising staff who had been so successful in meeting the fund raising targets for 1983.' Carol concert Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent was guest of honour at a carol concert in Guildford Cathedral given on December 15 by the Guildford Choral Society for the RNLI. A programme of Christmas Music was conducted by David Gibson and readings from The Wind in the Willows were given by television personality Tony Hart. Mr Hart also made an appeal on behalf of the Institution which raised £1,527.

Lifeboat appeals Appeals have recently been launched to fund, or help fund, three new 47ft Tyne class lifeboats; one to be stationed at The Mumbles in West Glamorgan, one at Cromer in Norfolk, and one at Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire. The Tyne, the RNLI's latest class of lifeboat, is designed to launch down a slipway but to have double the speed of present slipway lifeboats; the cost of building each boat is £430,000.

The Mumbles Tyne is partly funded by a gift from J. F. and E. A. Measures Charity of Birmingham and will be named Ethel Anne Measures. The president of the appeal is HM Lieutenant for West Glamorgan, Colonel J. Vaughan Williams, and cheques, made payable to the The Mumbles Lifeboat Appeal' should be sent to The Treasurer, The Mumbles Lifeboat Appeal, Midland Bank PLC, Castle Square, Swansea, West Glamorgan SA1 IDS.

The Cromer boat is partly funded by a legacy of just over £100,000 and will be named Ruby and Arthur Reed II; the same benefactor provided the present Cromer lifeboat. The patron of this appeal is the Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, Timothy Coleman, and cheques, made payable to 'Cromer Lifeboat Appeal', should be sent The Trustee Savings Bank, 1 West Street, Cromer, Norfolk NR27 9HZ.

The Fraserburgh Tyne will be funded by the City of Edinburgh Lifeboat Appeal and she will be named City of Edinburgh. The committee is led by The Lord Provost, The Right Honourable Tom Morgan, and cheques, made payable to The City of Edinburgh Lifeboat Appeal', should be sent to The City of Edinburgh Lifeboat Appeal, RNLI, 26 Rutland Square, Edinburgh EH1 2RL.

Each of these appeals presents a great challenge. Any help that can be given, perhaps by people particularly interested in these three areas but living at a distance from them, will be most welcome.

Christinas fare The Right Honourable The Lord Mayor of London, Dame Mary Donaldson, joined the crew of Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, lifeboat on December 17 for the annual trip to The Needles Lighthouse with Christmas fare for the men on duty over the festive season. Dame Mary, the first woman to hold the office of Lord Mayor of London, enjoys sailing and is a member of the Royal Lymington Yacht Club which each year organises the collection for the lighthousemen from Lymington river users and Yarmouth yachtsmen. Rear Admiral W. J. Graham, director of the Institution, also joined Coxswain Dave Kennett and his crew on the trip.

'This is Your Life' Coxswain Matthew Lethbridge, BEM, of St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, was the subject of a 'This is Your Life' Thames Television programme on January 11.

Eamonn Andrews surprised Coxswain Lethbridge at the London International Boat Show and then rushed him across London to the television studios where he met relatives, members of his lifeboat crew and people he had rescued. A member of St Mary's crew since 1946 and coxswain since 1956, Matt Lethbridge has been awarded three silver medals for gallantry. The programme was seen by more than 14 million viewers and was number four in the top ten programmes for the week.

'Lifeboat' The BBC television series 'Lifeboat', shown in January and February, caused a great deal interest in the RNLI. Public Relations awards were presented, on February 9, to Paul Berriff, the cameraman, and to the crew and families of Humber Station by Lt-Cdr Brian Miles, deputy director of the Institution. The series inspired thousands of children's paintings in a competition run by BBC's 'Saturday Superstore' and a selection of them will be on display in the Royal Festival Hall at the time of the annual presentation of awards on May 15.

Centenary The RNLI sends its congratulations to Marks and Spencer which is celebrating its centenary in 1984. It also extends its thanks for the great support this company has given to the lifeboat service over a number of years. Since 1978 Marks and Spencer has donated some £37,500 in gifts to 30 stations in different areas round the coast. In addition, the company has given considerable fund raising support, for instance in staging local fashion shows..