Fair weather or foul During Hoylake lifeboat station's open day last August it was a case of 'What shall we look at first?' And with so much to see and do it must have been a hard choice for many of the 10,000 people who went along. Perfect weather encouraged visitors to walk around the static displays put up by the Fire Brigade, HM Coastguard and the Country and Urban Park Rangers. Souvenirs and raffles and a jumping castle to keep the children occupied were also very popular. Among the highlights of the day were displays by the the Red Arrows, British Aerobatic Team captain, Richard Goode and RAF Valley SAR Flight. There was also a demonstration by Hoylake, New Brighton and West Kirby lifeboats. The day was highly successful for all concerned and raised an all time record for the event— £8,182.

Edgbaston and Harborne guild held a coffee morning and nearly new sale at the home of Mrs Gladys Harris which raised a magnificent £1,023. This was in spite of wet and windy weather curtailing the selling power of the outdoor stalls.

As part of Shepway District Council's celebrations, 'Folkestone—The Glorious Years', a street festival was organised in September with people from all over the country providing entertainment for residents and visitors. Two of the entertainers collected money for the RNLI; Ron Armstrong from Gravesend took along his fairground organ and collected £70. Mr and Mrs Smith from New Romney allowed members of the public to play their barrel organ and raised £217 in two days. A friend from Germany who is a member of the German Lifeboat Society helped Mr and Mrs Smith with their collection.

An October fayre was run by Broadstairs ladies' guild which had people queueing at the door well before opening time. Many hours spent knitting, sewing and cooking by guild members meant attractive displays on every stall inside the hall. Over 240 people visited the fayre and were entertained by a selection of favourite melodies played on the piano by a willing helper. The Mayor of Broadstairs was on hand to draw the raffle and present the prizes.

When the fayre closed, just one and a half hours after opening, over £782 had been raised.

The weather smiled favourably on Buckfastleigh branch when they held their fete in August last year in the grounds of Bossell House Hotel, by kind permission of Mr and Mrs Botell.

Competitions, stalls, raffles and demonstrations by St John's Ambulance, who made up visitors with horrific wounds, the local band, Blue Sapphire, and a majorette team helped the branch to amass £391.38. Another attraction atthe fete was a display of lifeboat models made by Mr Phil Johnson and Mr Steele.

In August 1985 Bumpstead District branch held a summer fete, with a publicity inflatable lifeboat as the centre- piece. Such was the success of the day that nearly £640 was raised. With the proceeds from taking part in a locally organised fun day, opening a garden to the public, barbecues, house to house collections, souvenir sales and donations, this rural branch have been able to forward £1,950 to Poole headquarters.

Bowled over Following a week's tour of Somerset, Middlesex County Women's Bowling Association, was able to send donations to RNLI headquarters totalling £109.

Mrs M. Hiorns, the president, had chosen the Institution to benefit from the association's charitable earnings during the week.

Starting young During Walton and Frinton's lifeboat week Anne Pearce, a young supporter of the local guild, ran a jumble sale in the garden of her home with the help of two friends, Anna and Claire. The sale brought in over £56.

Some hard work and meticulous research brought its reward for pupils from Falkirk High School. The eight pupils had studied the story of the liner City of Benares which sank in 1940.

Ninety children were on board the liner at the time and sadly 77 were drowned.Six of the survivors were contacted and the eight pupils produced a 24-page booklet which was sold to raise funds for the Institution. Their reward? The booklet made £145 and when researchers at the BBC heard about the project, the eight were invited to appear on the Blue Peter programme.

Party funds On one of the few fine evenings in July 1985, Sir Alec and Lady Rose hosted a wine and cheese party in the garden of their Hampshire home. The evening raised £700 for Havant branch and was attended by over 100 people.

Mrs T. Daines, Mayor of Havant, was at the party, together with Rear Admiral W. J. Graham, RNLI director, Wendy Nelson, regional organiser (South) and members of Hayling Island lifeboat crew and other local fund raising and station branches.

Who could refuse an invitation to a champagne luncheon? And if it was for a good cause, all the better. Gillian von Drehle, an ex-patriot, now living in Michigan, USA, invited her friends to such a luncheon and the fact that they had to pay $10 each did not deter them.

The ladies had a highly enjoyable time, a profitable time too as Mrs von Drehle was able to send £304.66 to Weybridge branch.

The Alan Baillie Quartet and the Razzle Dazzle Disco provided the music for a gala dance organised by Girvan lifeboat crew. The crew all worked hard to make the dance and raffle a success; the work was definitely not in vain as the dance made £1,150.

Christleton branch, Cheshire, held a summer ball in Rossett, near Wrexham in June last year. Among the prizes donated for the raffle was a sailboard.

In all, the evening raised a magnificent £3,000.

A water-colour entitled Lifeboat Rescue at Sea was donated by the artist David Addey and raffled during a buffet supper organised by the reformed Tunbridge Wells and District branch and held in Frant in August last year. Such was the success of the supper and raffle that £900 was made during the evening.

St Donat's Castle was the venue for Cardiff guild's largest single fund raising event in the year. Held last autumn the guild's annual luncheon and raffle raised a remarkable £2,800.

A riotous time was had by over 420 friends who attended the first country and western evening organised by Dymchurch and District branch in July 1985.

Two bands played throughout the evening, one of which was the Rawhide Westerners from Hythe who were dressed in period western costume, the ladies wearing crinolines and the men resplendent in their stetson hats. The evening made a rootin' tootin' £625.

To ring the changes from wine and cheese, a steak and kidney pie supper dance was held at Greene King's, Kings Cliffe Hotel, Holland-on-Sea. This annual event brings in money for Clacton branch and is organised by Roy Buckley, the hotel manager. Mr Percy Rayner, chairman of Tendring District Council, and Mrs Rayner were among the 100 guests at the supper which made over £450.

Training for the record How long does it take to travel by train to the four corners of the UnitedKingdom? It took record breaking Carl Lombardelli, a British Rail employee, just 48 hours and 15 minutes to visit Penzance, Lowestoft, Arisaig and Thurso, all British Rail stations which are farthest south, east, west and north. It is the second time Carl has made the trip and he lopped 10 minutes off his previous time. The RNLI benefited from his efforts to the tune of £100 in sponsorship.

Down on the farm Heavy rain and mud failed to deter visitors to an open day at Ardwall Farm, Gatehouse. Outdoor activities had to be abandoned but indoor attractions such as a film on Ardwall and the vast range of unusual sheep and rare breeds of cattle more than made up for the disappointment. A collection of snakes brought by Mr Ronald McCarlie particularly fascinated visitors. Sales of produce went well and Gatehouse branch were very grateful to Major Walter McCulloch for allowing them to stage the day on his farm. Despite the rain, proceeds totalled £800.

Appeal news Rye Harbour's lifeboathouse appeal had two welcome boosts from the South London region. Regulars of the Horse and Groom, Streatham, raised £1,500 and asked if it could go to a specific project; the Rye appeal was suggested and happily accepted.

The bridge players of the Racal Decca social club at Tolworth, near Surbiton, held a 24-hour sponsored bridge marathon. Thirty-two club members played for 25Vi hours, completing 168 hands. At the end of the marathon it must have been diamonds the players could see before their eyes, not spots.

The group's chairman, Cherry Emery, had been rescued 15 years ago after an accident in Rye Bay and she was delighted to present £844 to the appeal fund.

Latest collections An offer from the Scottish Woollen Shop, Sevenoaks, to provide a programme of three charity fashion shows within ten days was eagerly accepted by three local branches, and resulted in £500 for the RNLI at each of the two fashion supper evenings organised by Sevenoaks and Ashtead branches. Over £1,100 was raised at a fashion lunch given by West Mailing and District branch. All three events were superbly organised and well attended and the RNLI benefited by over £2,000 from a very generous offer.

Bradford-on-Avon branch held a very successful fashion show which made a profit of £753. About 170 people went to the show where, along with the fashions on display, souvenirs were on sale and the wine and refreshments helped to make it a very pleasant evening.

Climb every mountain In June 1984, Corporal Don Pearson, then of the Royal Marine detachment at HMS Warrior, Northwood, took part in the Welsh 1000, a gruelling race in the mountains of Snowdonia. The race is about marathon length with some 8,800 feet of ascent. Last year's race was made all the harder by appalling weather conditions. However, the Royal Marines team finished in 8 hours 5 minutes and Don Pearson raised £105 in sponsorship which he presented to Northwood branch.

A two-mile canoe ride from St Agnes beach to Bawden Rock followed by an 80ft rock climb to "the top of the rock and down again, and a return journey to the beach was the method of raising money used by four regular soldiers attached to 37 CTT. The four, who were training at Penhale Camp near Newquay were Sergeants Dave Hawkes, Bill Healey and Tony Walton, and Warrant Officer Bob Bowden.

They made the complete trip in just under two hours raising £256.51 from the officers and cadets at the camp.

Past on show Nostalgia reigned during a two-day exhibition held in the old Cresswell lifeboathouse and mounted by Morpeth ladies' guild. The exhibition showed the history of the station with old and treasured photographs kindly loaned by local people. Grandchildren of local lifeboat heroine Margaret Armstrong travelled from far and wide to see the display. Newbiggin lifeboat visited Cresswell on both days, re-kindling memories of those who could remember the Cresswell lifeboat. At the end of the exhibition over £375 had been made.

No hurry Archie Parker and his son Alan walked the 95-mile trek along the West Highland Way to raise funds for Kilwinning branch. The walk took them south from Fort William to Milngavie and lasted 5l/2 days. Mr Parker said afterwards they could have done the walk in a quicker time but having such good weather, coupled with the breathtaking beauty of the countryside, to havehurried would have been unthinkable.

It all added up to a very pleasant way of raising £630.

Under the hammer As a final fund-raising gesture before moving house, the Howard family organised an auction and jumble sale in the garden of Rhu House, Tarbert, Argyll.

Help was obtained from the Police, Fire Brigade and the US Navy Base at Machrihanish. Tents, tables, tea urns and chairs were all borrowed from local families and churches, and valuable advice was given by Rhudle Mill Antiques for the auction. The sale and auction took place in glorious sunshine and the highlight of the day was Bruce Howard's humorous, but professional performance as auctioneer. The proceeds from the day, which also included side stalls and competitions, came to a magnificent £1,533.

One hundred and twenty lots came under the hammer of Chancellors Hollingsworth auctioneers in Ascot. The lots were promises of goods or services being sold at Ascot branch's auction of promises. Among the lots were a free initial parachute training course, a pair of first class rail tickets, 250 KG of horse manure, ready bagged, two tickets for No 1 Court at Wimbledon and five litres of paint. One lot, a week's use of a four bedroomed holiday house on Barra Island was sold for £160. In all, the auction raised a remarkable £3,641.

Carpet custom How can carpet samples raise money for the RNLI? Landale Carpets in the Yorkshire Dales village of New York has a lifeboat collecting box and, when customers ask for carpet samples, these are willingly supplied if a donation is put in the box. In the space of a few months over £47 had been collected.

Harbour dues Wilson Scott, a member of Oban lifeboat crew, spent a pleasant day with Dina Robertson, daughter of the Oban ladies guild president. They were on a dinghy tour of the yachts moored in the harbour, making a collection for the branch. At the end of their trip they had collected £70.

On your toes Two performances by pupils of the Sylvia Bebb School of Ballet and Theatre Arts in Bedford made £1,046 for St Ives lifeboat station. Miss Bebb, who trained at the Royal Ballet School and danced with the London Festival Company, has gone to St Ives for holidays for over 30 years and has raised over £2,000 for the station. Last year's money will be put towards the cost of a new inflatable lifeboat and launching carriage for the station.

Waves of support Members of the F-100 Breakers Club held a CB marathon in August last year from their clubhouse at Hurtmore, Surrey.

During the 168 hours spent continuously on the air, money was raised from donations from other stations contacted, or 'copied'. Sponsorship from the number copied, together with raffles and mini auctions brought the total money raised throughout the day to £545.63 which was then handed to Godalming branch.

During a special open day to mark the 125th anniversary of Margate lifeboat station, a special radio station was set up in the boathouse. Over 250 two-way contacts were made both in the United Kingdom and abroad, and a further 50 short wave listeners sent in reports, all of whom received a special postcard of Margate lifeboat. By prearrangement the motor mechanic from Rhyl called up the station on the amateur band and talked to Margate's mechanic. Donations were received following the event and much goodwill was generated around the country.

Many a mickle . . .

An unusual competition, 'Around the Flugga', helped Aith's lifeboat gala day to be a record breaking success. People had to guess how many nautical miles, to the nearest tenth, that the yacht Hermes had sailed from Lerwick to Aith via Muckle Flugga. Several years ago Sean Milligan, her owner, was helped by Lerwick lifeboat and the trip was his way of repaying the favour. The distance of 129.5 miles was guessed by four people, three of whom accepted monetary prizes, the other opting for the trip back to Lerwick in Hermes. The competition made £630 and the entire day raised over £2,570.

Bar profits Having spotted an RNLI collecting box in his local pub, The Angler's Retreat at Marsworth, near Tring, Shoreline member Mr G. R. Fountain introduced himself to the landlord and produced his Shoreline membership card. The landlord, known simply as 'H', took swift action and started to pass round the collecting box. Over the next ten days £163 was collected.

Although, sadly, her husband John died in 1985, Mrs Maureen Moore, landlady of the Prince Regent Hotel, Tiverton, carried on with the fund raising campaign he had started and with a varied programme of events including sponsored diets, pub crawls, Easter egg money, a spoofing contest and many other events, £1,000 was raised.

Over £140 was contained in a giant bottle kept on the bar in the Swan Inn, Sidmouth. The bottle was smashed (intentionally) during a special fund raising evening at the pub by CoxswainKeith Graham and Crew Member Graham Willie from Exmouth, whose lifeboat was benefiting from the contents.

John Mortimore, a local resident, took along his model of a 48ft 6in Solent lifeboat to attract more attention and funds on the evening. Final takings came to £200.

Full house Q. How can two little ducks help save lives at sea? A. The Wisbech and District branch found out following an approach to the manager of their local bingo hall. The last card on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening sessions was given over as a charity game. The branch provided a star prize and two other minor prizes for 'lines'. Unlucky for some? Not this time—the branch raised £359.57.

High mileage In an attempt to get better weather for their annual sponsored walk, patrons of the Ribblesdale Hotel, Blackburn, changed the date from Easter to the August Bank Holiday weekend, and walked in driving winds and rain. Over the last three years the hotel has raised £2,180.

Forty pupils of the Priory Prep School, Banstead, took part in a sponsored run on Epsom Downs on behalf of the RNLI. The boys, all aged between five and six years are members of the pre-preparatory department of the school and raised £407.30.

It took only one hour 48 minutes and 22 seconds for Carl FitzPatrick from Yarmouth, to water ski all the way round the Isle of Wight raising £253 for Yarmouth lifeboat station. It was a record breaking feat too as Carl sliced 16 minutes off the previous combination skiing record.

Flower power A 'residents only' flower show held at Burghead Community Centre won full approval from those people who entered the competition, and those who went along to look at the exhibits. The local Burghead branch were delighted with the show's success which made £540.

Reliable sources A new venture for Caernarfon branch turned out to be highly successful and profitable. For two weeks in August the branch sold souvenirs from their president's quayside garage. With great support from Shoreline members from far and wide who bought souvenirs, £1,830.30 was raised in two weeks, helping the branch towards a grand total of £5,500 which was sent to headquarters.

North Sunderland ladies' guild's annual harbour fete goes from strength to strength. Last year's fete, held on August bank holiday Monday, was opened by yachtsman David Scott- Cowper, who had only recently completed his epic voyage around the world in the converted ex-Dungeness lifeboat Mabel E. Holland. The day was a tremendous success raising £7,700, of which £151 was made by raffling a bottle of Royal Navy Pusser's rum which Mr Scott-Cowper had donated.

At the end of a varied fund raising year the guild accounted for over £16,900.

A coffee morning held at the home of Mrs Beti Gilbert raised £985 for Kensington branch. The money came in through bring and buy, souvenir and home produce sales. At her next coffee morning Mrs Gilbert hopes to break the elusive £1,000 barrier.

The Barnby Dun church group organised and extremely successful raft race in July last year. Members of Thorne guild, South Yorkshire, sold souvenirs on the day and were later presented with a cheque for £2,702.12 by the race organisers.

Dressed in period costume, members of Wellington and District branch manned their souvenir stall during the Pitchfork Rebellion Fair in June 1985.

By the time the rebellion ended the branch had sold £90 of souvenirs.

By way of saying thank you to St Abbs branch, the Norfet Under Water Photographic Unit held a film show in the local school hall. It is the fourth such film show the unit has organised to thank local residents on behalf of the thousands of people who skindive at St Abbs each year. All the proceeds go to the local branch, which last year amounted to £101.43.

Two second hand sales, a cheese and wine party and a salad luncheon helped Driffield ladies' guild raise the gratifying total of £6,600 in 1985.

Since Scalby guild was formed in 1980 they have raised well over £9,000. At a recent coffee morning a cheque for £900 was presented to Peter Lacey, area organiser (North East). The cheque brought the guild ever nearer to their £10,000 target to be raised before the end of the 1985 financial year. During the morning four-year-old Paul Reaney presented the guild with a model of Eyemouth lifeboat which had been made by his grandfather. The guild will use the model to raise more funds.

Tom O'Connor, the well known TV personality, launched Bembridge lifeboat for a SAR demonstration during the town's regatta. The day's events were opened by branch president Cdr P. Thorneycroft, with Bembridge Mayor, Councillor A. K. Snelling also present. During the day there were beach sports, swimming races, lifeboat queen and princess competitions, aerial displays, church Boys' and Girls' Brigade displays, a fishing boat race and a grand draw. At the end of an action packed day £2,200 had been raised.

Members of the Exeter branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club do not only glean from the sea bed, they are equally at home collecting treasure on land.

Volunteers from the club helped as usual during Exeter's flag day and accounted for some £619..