Around and about the RNLI Good Times in the London marathon Tony Williamson, the chairman of Littlehampton Branch is a keen marathon runner, and has already raised £1,300 for the Shoreham Lifeboat appeal when he competed in the New York Marathon last year.

His disappointment at not being among the 32,000 people who succeeded in the ballot for a place on the start line for the 1990 London Marathon on 22 April was intense, as he had hoped to further benefit the appeal by running the 26 miles for a second time.

However 'The Times' has now come to the rescue, and Tony has been told that he is among the 12 runners whose cause has been considered worthy enough to win them one of the coveted places allocated to the newspaper.

Apart from the chance to swell the appeal's coffers features in 'The Times' will be spreading the word in a feature. Not so magical Mystery tour Members of the Central London Committee were looking forward to their visit to RNLI Headquarters in Poole, but in retrospect Thursday 25 January was not the best date to have chosen...

Seven ladies left Waterloo on time at 9.30 in the morning, but the storms which battered the country that day took their toll and when they had barely reached Southampton by 1 lam, when they should have been in Poole, they realised that the journey might take a little longer than usual! After well over two hours stranded without electricity and the line blocked by fallen trees the train struggled to Brockenhurst at 3.30 in the afternoon - and rescue arrived in the form of a husband with a car.

After reviving cups of tea six of the ladies squeezed in to the car and gingerly threaded their way back to London through damaged and darkened villages.

They arrived home at 8.30pm, and all was well that ended well - after all, the ladies reflected, worse things happen at sea… On Station The following lifeboats have taken up station and relief fleet duties: OVER 10 METRES St Helier - Tyne 47-039 (ON 1157) Alexander Coutanche on 13 December 1989.

Lytham - Tyne 47-037 (ON 1155) Sarah Emily Harrop on 14 January 1990.

Erratum: The official number of Ballyglass Arun 54-07 City of Bradford IV should read ON 1052, and not as shown in the Winter issue of THE LIFEBOAT.

UNDER 10 METRES Relief- D396 on 1 November 1989 Relief - D398 on 29 November 1989 Skerries - D393 on 1 December 1989 Relief - D399 on 2 December 1989 Dunbar - D397 on 5 December 1989 Margate - D400 on 17 December 1989 Redcar - B5 80 on 14 January 1990 Withernsea - D394 late February 1990 Craster - D395 late February 1990 Note: D class lifeboats delivered to summer only stations during the winter period will commence service at the start of the 1990 summer season for Under 10m lifeboats. New Year Honours for Lifeboatmen The following have received honours for their services to the RNLI in the New Year Honours list: BEM Griffith Jones, BEM, coxswain of Porthdinllaen lifeboat from 1973 until his retirement in July 1989. He joined the crew in 1958 as a reserve mechanic and from 1959 to 1962 was mechanic at Pwllheli lifeboat station. He was then appointed second coxswain at Porthdinllaen in 1962, becoming coxswain in 1973. Coxswain Jones was awarded a Bronze medal in 1974 for a shore boat rescue and received a long service badge in 1982.

Roderick Stott, BEM, mechanic at Bridlington lifeboat station from 1965 until his retirement in January 1990. He was the Humber lifeboat station power plant attendant from 1959 to 1965 when he was appointed mechanic at Bridlington.

Mr Stott received the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum twice, in 1968 and 1973, a framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman in 1969 and a long service badge in 1982.

Other awards for individual achievements not connected with the Institution's work were made to: KCB Vice Admiral Sir John Coward, KCB, former Flag Officer Sea Training and ex officio member of the Committee of Management.

CB Rear Admiral Roger Morris, CB, hydrographer of the Navy and ex officio member of the Committee of Management.

QBE William Pinkney, QBE, for services to the community in North Humberside. Mr Pinkney is president of the Bridlington branch.

MBE Michael Barrett, MBE, senior consultant, Posford Duvivier. consulting engineers for the RNLI's shoreworks. Albert docks at the RNLL. Buster Merryfield, well known to television viewers as Uncle Albert in the popular Only Fools and Horses series, drew the winning tickets for the 48th national lottery, which raised more than £80,000.

The draw took place on 31 January, supervised by Mrs Alison Saunders, deputy chairman of the RNLI's Fund Raising Committee and Mr Anthony Oliver, head of fund raising.

Buster, a former bank manager, was pleased to learn that over £2m has been raised from the lotteries which represent an important source of income.

The prize winners were: £2,000 - Mrs D.E. Clark, Kings Norton, Birmingham.

£1,000 - E. Farrar, Towcester, Northants.

£500 - M Jackson, Kirk Ella, Hull.

£250 - Mrs I. Kirby, Woolwich, London.

£100 - G. Toms, Polperro, Cornwall; F.

Watt, West Newport-on-Tay, Fife; S.J.

Richardson, Mickleover, Derby; M. West, Doncaster, South Yorkshire; Mrs G.

Rowland, Rushden, Northants; Mr & Mrs McDonnell, Thornton Heath, Surrey; Mrs B.J. Sparrow, Lilliput, Poole; H.T.

Hitchcock, Bookham, Surrey.

£50 - M. Keating, Heywood, Greater Manchester; Major and Mrs N.E.

Robinson, Gillingham, Kent; Mrs J. Waton, Cheltenham, Glos; N. Watling, Norwich, Norfolk; D. Pritchard, Bexleyheath, Kent; Mrs Chamberlain, Edinburgh, Scotland; Mrs D. Barrett, St Austell, Cornwall; Mrs R. Howells, Rickmansworth, Herts. President's century celebration Mrs Evelyn Miller-Barstow, QBE, MA JP, Dame of St John, president of the Westonsuper- Mare station and financial branches, celebrated her 100th birthday on 12 January 1990.

At her birthday party seven colleagues from Weston station and financial branches joined many friends and officials from other local organisations to which she is affiliated. Mrs Miller-Barstow has been president of the branch since 1976 and still officiates at its annual general meetings. She attends certain events throughout the year and is in regular touch with the financial branch chairman about the area newsletter.

His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, President of the Institution, sent his best wishes, thanking her for 'all the superb •work you have done for the RNLI'..