Listen very carefully. . . as Rene draws the lotteryGorden Kaye who stars as Rene in television's 'Allo 'Allo, drew the winning tickets of the 74th lifeboat lottery at Poole on 31 July 1996.

Brian Miles, RNLI director and Anthony Oliver, deputy head of fundraising and marketing were at hand to help Gorden spin the giant lottery drum containing some 100,000 ticket stubs.

The draw raised over £114,000.

The cash prize winners were:- £2,000 Mr I H Stark, Broughty Ferry, Dundee £1,000 Mr and Mrs K Headley, Orpington, Kent £750 Mrs E Bagshaw, Orpington, Kent; Father H A Taafe, Birmingham £500 Mr J H Seed, Usk, Gwent £250 Mr L Beetham, Lytham St Annes, Lanes £100MrAMcKirdy, Rothesay, Isle of Bute; Mr and Mrs R Hall, Holsworthy, Devon; Mr and Mrs J A Walton, Horsham, West Sussex; Mrs J M L Bryant, Timsbury, Bath; Mr G Langford, Kingsbridge, Devon £50 Mr H D Spottiswoode, Banbury, Oxon; Ms B Baxendale, Bolton, Lanes; Mr M Clymo, Camborne, Cornwall; Miss A Beswick, Flore, Northampton; Major and Mrs M Forrester, Ashford, Kent.

Birthday Honours The following have been honoured by HM The Queen in her Birthday Honours list for their services to the Institution: MBE: Peter Bisson. Coxswain at St Peter Port lifeboat station since January 1986. Peter first joined the crew in October 1980 and was appointed second coxswain in June 1984.

Miss Irene Davies.

President of South Caernarfonshire ladies lifeboat guild since 1990.

Miss Davies first joined the branch in 1945 and was appointed a lifegovenor in 1995.

James Mitchell. Former coxswain of Kirkwall lifeboat station. James first joined the crew in January 1977 and served in many posts until his appointment to coxswain in October 1988. Since his retirement in January 1996 he has been deputy launching authority for the station.

Other awards of interest, for achievements not directly connected with the Institution's work, have been made to: Knight Bachelor; Alderman John Chalstrey. The right Honourable The Lord Mayor of London for services to the City of London (ex-officio member of the committee of management) CBE: Major General Michael Walsh. For services to the voluntary sector (member of the committee of management) MBE: Captain Alec Auld.

Trustee, Peterhead Harbour Board for services to the fishing industry (former assistant mechanic and station honorary secretary for Peterhead lifeboat station) Ronald Wilson. For services to the community in Yorkshire (chairman of the Filey lifeboat station branch)A unique get together Two famous ex-lifeboats and four serving and former coxswains met up in Salcombe during the Devon Haven's first marine festival in June.

The station's former Watson class lifeboat, The Baltic Exchange, now called Baltic Air made her first visit to the town since being sold. She moored alongside another famous Watson, Mabel Holland, in which David Scott Cowper achieved two circumnavigations and became the first small craft to negotiate the North West Passage. She is now owned by Arthur Curnow who was coxswain of Torbay's Arun class lifeboat, Edward Bridges.

With Arthur was Frank Smith, mechanic and later coxswain of the original The Baltic Exchange and serving coxswain of Salcombe's present lifeboat, The Baltic Exchange II. Joining them were Edward Hannaford, the station's former second coxswain mechanic and former coxswain, Brian Cater.

Arthur was coxswain of the Edward Bridges when she went to the aid of the capsized The Baltic Exchange off Start Point during a service in gale force conditions in -1983. Brian and Frank were among the seven crew who survived the ordeal, which badly damaged the lifeboat, disabled communications, immersed six of the crew in the wheelhouse and swept one overboard - the lifeboat righted and the crew member was recovered.Window of faith church members are also very proud of the stained glass lifeboat window which was installed during the reconstruction of the church in 1956 after war damage.

It was therefore in August last year that the Falmouth lifeboat coxswain, crew and several local branch members attended morning service on the occasion of Harvest of the sea. During this service, the preacher, Pastor Harold Stevens presented a photograph of the lifeboat window to Coxswain Alan Barnes on behalf of the Church Council.

The photograph which is inscribed 'Window installed in Falmouth Methodist Church 1956 - Presented to local branch RNLI by the Church Council', can now be seen hanging in the lifeboat station.

Falmouth Methodist Church has a close affinity with the local branch of the RNLI, having members serving in different capacities. TheChatham Visit On the 25 May 1996 a group from Flamborough, East Yorkshire, travelled to the Historical Dockyard, at Chatham to view the lifeboat collection.

The old Flamborough station lifeboat, the 37ft Oakley class ON972 The Will and Fanny Kirby, is one of the fifteen lifeboats on display at Chatham - an invitation was issued by the RNLI to anyone connected with the old boat to attend the opening day.

The group included Bob Major, former coxswain; Robert Major, former second coxswain; Robin Sunley, former assistant mechanic; Robert hall, former head launcher and two former crew members, David Freeman and Martin Traves.

All were suitably impressed with the condition of The Will and Fanny Kirby and praised the volunteer group at Chatham for the work put in to bringing the lifeboat back to her former glory.

Two other lifeboats seen at Chatham with Flamborough connections were ON942 J G Graves of Sheffield and ON 927 Grace Darling- the former carrying out beach trials at the station during November 1979 and the latter seeing relief duty at Flamborough during the late 1960's.

On Station The following lifeboats have taken up duty: ALL-WEATHER Walton and Frinton - Tyne class 47-036 (ON 1154) Kenneth Thelwall II on 15 May 1996 Portree - Trent class 14-16 (ON 1214) Stanley Watson Barker on 7 June 1996 Exmouth - Trent class 14- 12 (ON 1210) Forward Birmingham on 6 July 1996 INSHORE Relief - B724 Rotarian Dennis Cullen on 14 May 1996 Penarth - B725 Spirit of Penarth on 15 May 1996 Trearddur Bay - B540 Wolverhampton on 15 May 1996 Larne - D499 Jean and Paul on 8 June 1996 Lough Swilly - D502 Inis- Eoghian on 10 June 1996 Red Bay - B527 Percy Garonon 10 June 1996 (temporary station duty) Blackpool - B718 Rotoract I on 26 June 1996 Mablethorpe - D506 Patrick Rex Moren on 9 July 1996 Fishguard - D505 Arthur Bygraves on 24 July 1996 Fowey - D483 C John Morris on 2 August 1996 (temporary station duty).