(Below) A vintage gift: this 1926, four-seater open tourer Rolls-Royce 20 was generously donated to the RNLI and recently came under the hammer at a Christie's car auction at Beaulieu in Hampshire. In the words of the sale catalogue: 'It is extremely rare to see a vintage Rolls-Royce in unrestored but complete and original condition in the 1980s. This example has been blocked up in a private garage for about 20 years.' The car made over £13,000 for the RNLI, considerably higher than had been expected.

photograph by courtesy of Southern Newspapers.