Above right: The Lifeboat Shop earns over £30,000 a year for Dublin branch. Its main trade is in second hand clothes which are donated by the bundle. They are sorted, put on display and sold by a dedicated band of volunteer ladies who run a rota to ensure that the shop is staffed and open for custom all day, six days a week. In the Republic of Ireland there are some 120 fund raising branches, which between them account for over £400,000 a year. In Northern Ireland 54 branches bring in around £150,000 annually..