Helping hand The Mayor of St. Albans, the Revd Cllr Robert Donald, assisted St. Albans and district branch with a successful collection on 13 December 1996. The collection took place outside Safeways supermarket in Fleetville, St. Albans and raised an impressive E626.

Revd Cllr Donald, also president of the branch, is shown centre of the above photograph with supermarket store manager, Alex Johnson and RNLI stalwart supporter and committee member, Thelma Willcox.

Good sports For the past 20 years Irvine Boat Owners Association has organised and run an annual dance and raffle in aid of the Troon lifeboat. At their latest function, the association's chairman, Ian Johnson presented a cheque for £1,490 to Coxswain Ian Johnson.

Many local tradesmen, businesses and club members donate prizes for the event which has, over the years, helped the association donate some £16,000 to the RNLI.Dreadful Draculas, harem ladies, Father Christmas and youngsters painted with woad were among the 100 rowers who took part in the annual race on the River Blackwater, Maldon Essex on Boxing Day. Despite freezing conditions, a flotilla of 35 boats took part in the 5km race supported by over 500 spectators - there were single oarsman and women, coxed pairs, multi-crewed vessels and the inshore lifeboat from Walton and Frinton was in attendance.

The event, run by the Maldon Little Ship Club, raised over £3,500. The trophy for the boat sponsored for the most money was won by the all-ladies group, Hythe Hookers who raised £1,000. Organiser, Mike McCarthy and local RNLI representative, Ken Harrington both declared it another successful event.

Doing the rounds Rita Dlxon, member of Mirfield ladies guild, organised a sponsored bed and wheelchair push around Dewsbury and District Hospital raising £264 for the RNLI. Rita, an employee of the hospital, was joined by her son John, colleagues Joan Manning and Val Riding; and was also assisted by Laura Freer and Whitby lifeboat crew member, Treve Ellis.Support divers Members of Goole Sub-Aqua club, along with family and friends, recently raised £232 for the Sport Divers Appeal by pushing their diving support boat around the streets of St Abbs in Berwickshire.

The appeal, which has so far raised £15,000 was launched in April 1996 and will run to December 1997 - the aim is to raise £70,000 to refurbish St Abbs lifeboat station.

The appeal has the support of Britain's three diving organisations - British Sub- Aqua Club, Sub-Aqua Association and the Scottish Sub-Aqua Club.And the winners are .

Mr David Scott, Volvo dealer development team leader Scotland, clutches the winning ticket for the Scottish grand draw which took place on 6 November 1996. Mrs Heather Dixon of Lochgilphead scooped the first prize - a brand new Volvo car.

The South East regional Volvo car draw took place on 24 October 1996 and raised £50,000 from ticket sales. Winner of the first prize, a new Volvo car to the value of £12,500, was Mr W Trotman of Edgeware.A reverse invasion! Holiday makers from the Midlands who invaded the Welsh coast during the Summer of 1996, returned the warm welcome when Aberdovey's station honorary secretary, Dave Williams and crew members, Charlie Bartlett and Dave Bowen, visited Stourbridge on 30 October 1996 to talk to local members and supporters.

Armed with videos illustrating the work of the Institution and the training undertaken by crew members, they gave an insight into the running of a station and told of the co-operation needed between the various rescue services.

Having persuaded Stourbridge's honorary secretary, Sue Coombes, to kit up, Charlie and the two Daves talked their audience through a 'shout' from start to finish. Sue found putting the gear on more difficult than it looked - the crew said she would definitely have missed the boat! No-one was left in any doubt of the commitment, courage and skills required of the RNLI's volunteer crew members and the vital support of the fundraisers and members of the public - the evening raised some £230 for lifeboat coffers.

Not all submissions received for the Spring 1997 issue are featured and may appear in a future issue.Guide for fundraising International Paint are helping to raise funds for the RNLI through their booklet 'Complete guide to boat painting' which is available free from boat chandlers. Each month the company holds a prize draw from replies to a questionnaire contained in the booklet and the winner receives five litres of antifouling - the same protection used on RNLI lifeboats.

For every entry received the company donate £1 to the Institution - and with over 3,000 entries already recorded, the donation is hoped to reach a substantial sum.

Gala chequeViolet's dolls Thanks to stalwart fundraiser Violet Howes, who has been knitting dolls and selling them in aid of the Institution for over 15 years. Although Violet is nearly 85 years old and suffering from arthritis, she produces a wide range of quality toys, including cheery clowns and Wurzel Gummidges - the proceeds from which are regularly sent to Abersoch lifeboat station.

Rock appeal The total for Rock lifeboat and station appeal, launched to fund the station's new D class lifeboat, station improvements and shoreworks, has now reached £128,000. This is the first time that money has been raised in Cornwall to pay for a lifeboat and station in the county and any contributions to help reach the appeal's target of £150,000 would be greatly appreciated.

One of the latest fund raising events in aid of the appeal was a celebration ball and auction. A total of £2,626 was raised from the event with notable auction bids of £500 for a hand painted cupboard by local artist, Chalky Backland; £340 for a set of tea knives donated by none other than HM The Queen Mother; and £185 for a painting by another local artist, Ken Dilkbury.

The whole event was generously supported by both local businesses and those from surrounding areas.Army farewell A large marquee in the grounds of Pembroke Castle was the venue for a cocktail party and musical farewell to the Federal German Army on 14 October 1996. Sixhundred guest were entertained by the German Heeresmusik korps 10, the Welsh Guards and the local Griffon Choir.

When it was announced the German Army were leaving Pembroke after 35 years, it was decided that a farewell would be arranged to thank them for their long and close association with the Pembroke ladies guild.

The evening, organised by the ladies lifeboat guild, was a huge success and raised over £4,350 for Institution funds.

Record breakers Dittons Skiff and Punting club broke the channel crossing world record and raised money for the RNLI by rowing from Dover to Cap Gris Nez, in little over two hours and 42 minutes - a 25% improvement of the previous record! The record breaking crew, pictured above in their 35ft cutter, raised £1,300 for the Institution as sponsorship money for the event at their regatta last September.Inland support So far this financial year, land-locked Leominster branch in Herefordshire, has raised over £1,300 from the sale of souvenirs and gifts. Branch members regularly take their wares around shows and fairs, increasing sales income with the sale of bric-a-brac and home-made cakes and preserves.

Pictured right, from left to right are supporters John and Marylin Archer; Mike Kimbery, Chairman of District Council with wife, Jean; Roger and Hilary Hunt, Mayor and Mayoress of Leominster; and Bob and Ann Ellis, joint branch souvenir secretaries.Central fundraising update BT Global Challenge Round The World Race - By the time you read this Toshiba Wave Warrior will have completed the third leg, from Wellington to Sydney, and started the fourth to Cape Town. TV presenter, Michael Buerk is on the third leg, and Haydon Scott Edwards from Craster is our RNLI crew member on the fourth.

Simon Walker, the skipper, and the crew did extremely well on the first two legs, coming second and third respectively. Grateful thanks are due to all our sponsors, and we are well on course to fund the Atlantic 75 from the proceeds.

The race returns to the Solent in July, and shortly after Skandia, the sponsors of Cowes Week, have chosen the RNLI as their charity for the event.

RNLI International Golf Classic - You should just have a chance, if there are still places, to play in this event, which takes place over 24 and 25 April.

Up to 1,500 golfers, in teams of four, will depart by ferry from Portsmouth, courtesy of P&O, arriving at Le Havre the following morning. The golf classic will be played on 12 courses in Normandy, followed by a prize-giving ceremony. Prizes to the value of 25,000 are on offer.

London Boat Show - Cheques for over £100,000 were presented by the Royal Bank of Scotland to Ian Ventham at the show, the highest number of receipts for one year from use of the card, and for £10,500 from Cable & Wireless (Marine), as a result of a very active employee fundraising campaign.

Tesco - The national collection days will be on 23 and 24 May, and local fundraising will be co-ordinated by the regions.

New products - An RNLI telephone card is shortly to be marketed by Tele Virtual Call Card, through collector's magazines and various retail sources. It will be available in various price denominations.

Two high quality model lifeboat kits will now be available in model shops.

The first is a Trent, produced by Model Slipway, and the second a classic double-ended Watson kit, produced by Wyrelight Models.

Marks & Spencer will be producing their floating D-class soap-dish for sale in their stores for Father's Day.

Current products - A wide range of products are available - from credit cards to health care, from photographic to travel, together with all sorts of insurance - marine, motor, buildings, contents and pets. In fact, the insurance side is now even stronger since RAC Insurance Services have merged with Guardian Direct to produce a very powerful group.

This issue of The Lifeboat also carries an insert from Charity Guild, a new grouping of several charities formed by Webb Ivory, which gives us the advantage of much greater circulation of the scheme. We get a return from each of these products so please encourage their use.First event Although Bexhill-on-Sea has had committees for many years, it was not until last Summer that a membership scheme was launched.

The branch is already 200 strong and its first fundraising event achieved £1,020 at the town's festival of motoring where volunteers sold souvenirs and Volvo draw tickets.

In brief A LOCAL RNLI supporter boosted Helensburgh station guild funds with a generous £1,000 donation. The surprise donation came after the highly successful Helensburgh guild coffee morning which raised £2,200.

Two collections at Safeway stores and the St. Nicholas shopping centre in Sutton were held by the Sutton, Cheam and Worcester Park branch at the beginning of the year - the total collected was £2,803.

A COFFEE morning was held last November by Mullion and District branch members at their local chapel raising £280 in little over an hour.

A FASHION show and several tea mornings organised by Deerness ladies guild, raised over £1,000 in just three months.

GEORGE Gibson, Thurso honorary secretary and member of the Scottish Independent Television Dealers Association (SITDA), recently handed over a cheque for £1,000 to Coxswain Billy Farquhar. Thecheque was raised by the SITDA after a recent conference when the association held a charity raffle. The cheque was presented at a 'ceilidh run' by the Thurso branch committee, held in the Royal British Legion Club raising a further £500.

WHEN RNLI supporter, Mrs J. Lynn Belf ield of Cheshire passed away last October it was decided that all donations in her memory should be given to the Institution. Mrs Belf ield led an active sailing life for some 20 years and her mourners, most of who are connected to the RNLI in some way, donated a total of £125.Buried Treasure! Ron Warner, treasurer of Sennen Cove guild, is always looking for ways to raise RNLI funds - his latest venture, a treasure hunt, raised over £650. Using a large map of Derbyshire, Ron sectioned it off into cross referenced squares and 'buried' the treaure in a secret location.

David Jones, area organiser for the South West, kept the secret combination in double sealed and signed envelopes.

The treasure hunt, which attracted entries from all round the country and abroad, came to a close on 12 October when Terry George, Coxswain of Sennen Cove lifeboat, revealed the secret combination. The winner, Mr S L Knowles of Birmingham, received his prize of some £220, along with a spade to dig up the treasure buried at 'orange F 20'!Annabel presents Top tennis personality Annabel Croft presented the prizes at a ladies and a men's tournament which raised over £15,500 for RNLI funds.

The Bonsoir Direct RNLI tennis tournament took place on 25 September 1996 at the Harbour Club and the Johnson Fry RNLI men's tournament was played at the Vanderbilt Club on the 2 October. Mrs Michael Campbell of the Central London committee once again chaired the committees for these two highly popular events.

Cheque up Duckhams, oil suppliers to the RNLI, increased their contribution to the costs of supplying lifeboat engine fluids in 1996. A cheque for £20,000 was presented by Mike Stewart of Duckhams Oils in January 1997.

Reformed raisers Although only recently reformed, Gloucester branch has so far generated over £5,200 for Institution funds. The first event, held on the 19 July 1996 and entitled 'Summer jazz in the engine house', raised some £490.

As well as the regular box emptying programme, other activities included committee member Jim Andrews in his second Severn crossing sponsored walk raising £300, two supermarket collections raising £1,430, attendance at Gloucester Docks boat jumble raising £270 and manning a car park which raised £100 Across the waves...

RNLI fundraisers all the way from the Falkland Islands visited Bishop's Waltham branch in August last year and presented a cheque for their most recent box collection, and a special 'I plaque.

•alkland Islanders Angela Goodwin her parents Una and Robin have •n collecting money for the RNLI for ny years and regularly send ques to the branch. During their Angela and Una were also invited isit Hayling Island lifeboat station were presented with a wall plaque a framed, inscribed photgraph of ling's inshore lifeboat.lifeboat funded Representatives from Civil Service Motoring Association (CSMA) and Frizzell Financial Services jointly presented a cheque to the RNLI on 23 September 1996 for the purchase of an Atlantic 75 lifeboat at Portsmouth lifeboat station.

The money was raised by donations from CSMA members taking part in competitions and other functions and is the continuation of the support they have given RNLI since 1984 - within which time they have contributed nearly £250,000.

The naming ceremony for this lifeboat has been organised for 26 April 1997 at Portsmouth when VI Ps from the RNLI, CSMA and Frizzell will be present.

Model citizens A old lifeboat sailed into Maidenhead High Street in December 1996 to help 45 volunteers collect a record £2,138 throughout their flag day.

The Solent Class lifeboat model, seen above with three of the enthusiastic collectors, belonged to the Windsor branch but was recently put in the care of Maidenhead branch who restored her in time for the flag day.

The local committee is most grateful to all those helpers who gave up their time in bitterly cold weather and to the generous Maidenhead people for their support.Cash cycle Thirteen young officers from Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth took part in a charity event to raise money for the Institution - the aim was to cycle from Dartmouth to Porthcawl, in South Wales, a distance of 200 miles.

The team, who collected money throughout their journey, left the college on 9 December 1996 and arrived at their destination on 12 December.

On their journey the cyclists passed through Dartmouth, Torquay, Newton Abbot, Exeter, Taunton, Bridgwater, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff, Bridgend and finally, Porthcawl. The event received much media attention and sparked public interest - people stopped to wave and cars sounded their horns as the cyclists crossed the Severn Bridge.

On arrival at Porthcawl, the cyclists were welcomed by RNLI VIPs including Bev Stidard, area organiser for South Wales, and John Williams, station honorary secretary of Porthcawl lifeboat station.

The team collected over £3,000 and presented a cheque at a reception in the lifeboat station together with a chart of Porthcawl in the 19th century, which was donated by the Hydrographic office in Taunton.

Officer Cadet Martin McGrath, who organised the event along with twelve fellow officers said, 'Supporting the RNLI is something which comes naturally to people in our profession, and we chose Porthcawl because it was their lifeboat that fished our Divisional Officer out of the water on a number of occasions when he was doing hydrographic surveying work in that area a few years ago.'Tim cruises in! Lifeboat supporters from across London were joined by Tim Vincent, former Blue Peter presenter, at the Playscape Pro Racing kart track in Streatham on 15 November 1996. During the evening 14 teams battled it out in 160cc Honda Biz karts in a two and a half hour endurance race around the 400m track raising £3,458 for the RNLI.

Tim Vincent, brought a team along to race - cruising into fourth place without any double sided sticky tape or an empty washing-up bottle in sight...

The winning team, headed up by John Bungy of AMT, completed 322 laps during the race, at the end of which each driver in his team was presented with a bottle of champagne. Teams from the Baltic Exchange took second and third prizes, and a special 'Broken axle' trophy was awarded to Phillipa Dixon of Wunderman Cato Johnson, who lead the star team of the evening who came in 81 laps behind the winners! The evening was a success and It is hoped that the sponsors, Duckhams Oils, will support it as an annual event.

If any readers are interested in taking part in a future Endurance Kart Race (experts and amateurs are equally welcome), please contact the London events office on (0171) 839 3369..