HM The Queen Mother's 100th birthday paradethought it was a wonderful day I was delighted to be involved ' Peter Woolhouse, Volunteer Fundraiser Lifeboatmen and women from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland helped to make up the RNLI's contingent that took part in HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's 100th birthday parade on 19 July at Horseguards Parade, in London.

The RNLI's colour party accompanied two contrasting lifeboats manned by the volunteers.

The Queen Victoria is a restored pulling and sailing lifeboat from 1887, and was pulled by a team of horses. The Miss Miriam and Miss Nellie Garbutt is a modern Atlantic 75 rigid inflatable lifeboat, and is the fastest in the RNLI fleet with a top speed on 32 knots. Stormy Stan also joined in the parade, riding in his own vehicle.

Everyone agreed that the day was extremely enjoyable, and the RNLI was proud to be included in the celebrations. In the end. everything ran smoothly, but that is not to say that there weren't some stressful moments in the preparation. The original plan included an all-weather Mersey class lifeboat instead of the Atlantic 75. It was only days before the parade that officials informed RNLIorganisers that the Mersey was too tall. It would not fit under the special canopy that was being erected. Fortunately, as an emergency organisation, the RNLI is experienced at reacting quickly and the substitute Atlantic 75 was brought into service.Lifeboatmen taking part in the parade RNLI banner Fred Walkington Colour party Robert Aggas Dave Corben Colin Marks Queen Victoria Alan Attrill Geoff Attrill Rob Charlton Sloane Hawley David Lisle Pat Marshall Geoff Ormrod David Pirn Michael Stone Martin Woodward Peter Woolhouse Bridlington Swanage Swanage Swanage Bembridge Bembridge Beaumaris Hastings Tynemouth Plymouth Hoylake Bangor Beaumaris Bembridge London Miss Miriam and Miss Nellie Garbutt Martin Jaggs Lytham St Annes Wyn Jones Abersoch Kyle Marshall Bangor Walking Matthew Atkinson Dennis Brophy Bill Farquhar Lytham St Annes Walmer ThursoThe Lifeboat is published four times a year and is sent free to RNLI members and governors. The next issue will be Winter 2000 and will appear in January 2001.

News items should be received by 25 October, but earlier if possible. All material submitted for possible publication should be addressed to the Editor, The Lifeboat, Royal National Lifeboat Institution, West Quay Road. Poole.

Dorset BH15 1 HZ.

Photographs intended for return should be accompanied by a stamped, addressed envelope, Contributions may be held for subsequent issues and, to reduce costs, receipt will not usually be acknowledged unless requested.

For further information on how to join the Institution as a member or governor contact the membership section at RNLI Headquarters, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1HZ, Any products or services advertised in The Lifeboat by third parties are not in any way endorsed by the RNLI and the RNLI shall not be responsible for the accuracy of any information contained in such advertisements nor has it investigated or verified any of the information.

The Lifeboat is published by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and printed by The Friary Press, Bridport Road, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1JL.Birthday Honours It is with great pleasure that we announce that the following people have been honoured by Her Majesty The Queen in the Birthday Honours: FOR SERVICES TO THE RNLI Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE) Dorothy Eldridge - President, Portsmouth and Southsea Ladies Lifeboat Guild Michael Eynon - Former mechanic, Angle Lifeboat Station James Manson - Former Honorary Secretary, Troon Lifeboat Station Albert Sutherland - Coxswain, Fraserburgh Lifeboat Station.

OTHER AWARDS OF INTEREST Knight Bachelor (KB} Nicholas Charles Young - Chief Executive, Macmillan Cancer Relief.

Commander, Order of the British Empire (CBE) Victor Cocker- Group Chief Executive of Severn Trent pic and member of the RNLI Committee of Management and Fundraising.

Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE) Isabel Clark - for charitable services to the community, especially the RNLI in Milnthorpe, Cumbria Joyce Marr - for services to education and the community, and President of Inverbervie (Benholm and Johnshaven) Guild.

Queen's Police Medal {QPM} Jane Stichbury - Chief Constable, Dorset Police.New Year Honours The following people were awarded in the New Year Honours, and we deeply regret that they were omitted from the list in the Spring issue of The Lifeboat.

Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE) Paul Battrick - for service to the community on Jersey, and St Helier Lifeboat crew member.

Neville Davis - for service to medicine, and member of the RNLI Medical and Survival Committee.Outstanding bravery receives recognitionHelmsman John Foster of Southend lifeboat station and Coxswain/Mechanic Ronald Cannon of Ramsgate lifeboat station have been selected to receive special bravery awards for outstanding acts during 1999.John Foster is to receive the 'Walter and Elizabeth Groombridge Award' for the rescue of three people from the disabled angling boat Lady Jane on 24 October 1999. The annual award is presented for the most merititious service performed by the crew of an Atlantic 21 rigid inflatable lifeboat, or its successor, the Atlantic 75.The Award consists of a pair of binoculars, fitted with a small inscription plaque. Framed certificates will also be presented to each member of the crew and to the lifeboat station.

John earlier received the RNLI Bronze Medal for bravery for this rescue, presented by HRH The Princess Royal at the RNLI AGM and Presentation of Awards.

Ronald Cannon will receive 'Miss Maud Smith's Reward for Courage in Memory of John 7th Earl of Hardwicke', for the rescue of the crew of the yacht Rasmus on 9 November 1999. This annual award is given to the lifeboatman who performed the outstanding act of lifesaving during the previous year- Ronald will receive the sum of £25 and will also be presented with an award certificate. He earlier received the RNLI Silver Medal for bravery for this rescue, presented by HRH The Princess Royal. A certificate will also be presented to the lifeboat station.Clovelly lifeboat back on boardClovelly lifeboat station, in North Devon, is back under the wing of the RNLI with the royal seal of approval from HRH The Duke of Kent, who named the new Atlantic 75 lifeboat The Spirit of Clovelly and officially opened the refurbished lifeboat house in June. There has been a lifeboat station at Clovelly since 1870, but since 1987 the village has run and funded its own independent vessel.

The boathouse has been extended and completely modernised to enable the new lifeboat to be housed and to provide facilities for the crew. The generous gift of £25,000 from Isobel Powell greatly helped towards this. The full cost of the new boat was met by the Independent Clovelly Lifeboat Trust. Much of this money was raised locally, in particular by Pot Black UK of Bideford.

The RNLI has teamed up with Danish footwear manufacturer ECCO to offer a new sailing shoe endorsed by round-the-world yachtsman Pete Goss and Team Phillips.

Dubbed the 'Ultimate Sailing Shoe', it has been designed to be worn in all conditions, allowing sailors to dispense with carrying bulky boots and shoes. ECCO have generously agreed to donate £5 to the RNLl for every pair sold in the UK.The Lifeboat Silver Ball The Lifeboat Silver Ball 2000 will be held on 7 December in the London Hilton Ballroom. This glittering occasion is organised by the RNLI's Central London Ball Committee, Guests will enjoy a champagne reception followed by a three-course dinner with wine specially chosen for the occasion. Entertainment, including dancing to the NatWest Jazz Band, will continue until 1am.

Highlights include a giant tombola and a special holiday raffle to be drawn by television presenter Alan Titchmarsh.

The Ball Chairman, Mrs David Haynes, says 'We are planning a spectacular evening for our guests. My committee has worked tirelessly to make the evening a great success. We hope to welcome many supporters, old and new.' Tickets for the ball cost £120 each and can be obtained from Robin Saklatvala at the London Events Office on 020 7839 3369.

Historic lifeboats appeal Scarborough lifeboat station will celebrate 200 years of lifesaving in 2001 and the support group are currently preparing various fundraising events.

They hope to be able to stage a sail past of historic lifeboats and appeal to lifeboat owners to bring their boats to Scarborough for one weekend during the summer season.

Anyone wanting further information should contact V Winterbottom at 11 Sea View Close, Scarborough YO11 3JB.

Sea Check gains parliamentary support A parliamentary Early Day Motion by New Forest East MP, Dr Julian Lewis, has voiced its support for the SEA Check service.

Dr Lewis' motion says 'that this house congratulates the RNLI on the completion of the first year of its free safety equipment advisory check service, in which more than 2,300 boat owners requested face-to-face advice on safety equipment; regards this as an excellent example of prevention being better than cure; welcomes the aim of expanding the scheme to some 20,000 SEA Checks per year; and applauds the contribution of its ten full-time co-ordinators and 400 experienced volunteers who currently provide the SEA Check service.' SEA Check has now responded to well over 3,000 requests and took part in the two RNLI roadshows travelling across Britain.

Open all hours RNLI headquarters has extended its opening hours. You can now contact the Poole office between Sam and 6pm Monday to Friday.Winter lifeboat lottery - Win a holiday and get your Mountie? If you enter the winter lifeboat lottery you might not get your Mountie, but you could win a fortnight's holiday in the spectacular Canadian Rockies.

The fortunate winners will begin their holiday in Calgary and then travel to Banff, Canada's oldest National Park. It's surrounded by the Rocky Mountains and is full of canyons, lakes, forests, meadows and waterfalls. To appreciate the area fully, the winners may decide to walk some of its hiking trails, take a gondola ride up Sulphur Mountain or enjoy a cruise to the Cave and Basin Hot Springs.

Other highlights may include a visit to the famous jewel-coloured Lake Louise, and perhaps to the Columbia Icefields - the largest mass of ice outside the Arctic Circle. In addition to this splendid holiday, the winter lottery also features the usual runner-up cash prizes that range from £100 to £1,000.

If you don't receive lottery tickets, but would like to, please contact Rebekah Rose on 01202 663219, 8.00am-6.00pm, weekdays. She will be delighted to send you tickets or help with any lottery queries.

www.lifeboats.org.uk is the best O The RNLI website has YELLoCOM won first prjze as tne WINNER 'best site from a not for - _»- profit making YEU UK WEB AWARDS 2000 organisation' at the prestigious Yell UK Web Awards. The Yell awards recognise the very best of the Net. Entries, nominated by real people 'hitting' the sites, are judged by a panel of independent experts. So why not visit the site for a vast amount of information about the RNLI, including up-to-date scrolling details of the lifeboats that have launched every day.RNLI welcomes aboard its new Chairman..The Lifeboat is delighted to welcome Peter Nicholson, from Hamble, Hampshire, as the RNLI's new Chairman, on the retirement of David Acland. Mr Nicholson served as a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm before qualifying as a Naval Architect. He became Managing Director of Camper Nicholsons Ltd in 1964 and Chairman in 1968. In 1972 he became Executive Director of the newly-merged Crest Nicholson pic, becoming non-executive in 1987.

He has been Chairman of National Boat Shows Ltd, Chairman of the Hampshire Yacht and Boat Builders Federation, and is a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron. His wife, Lesley-Jane, was Chairman of the RNLI Mermaid Ball in 1990 and is an active member of the RNLI Central London Committee.

He joined the RNLI's Committee of Management in 1993, having been a member of the specialist Boat and Shoreworks Committee since 1992. He served as Chairman of this committee from 1996-99. He became a Vice President in 1997 and a Deputy Chairman in 1999.

'I am honoured and pleased to accept this appointment,' he said. 'As someone who has always been connected with the sea I am keenly appreciative of the work of the lifeboat service... I look forward to playing my part as a volunteer in this lifesaving service and will do all I can to maintain the high standards for which the RNLI is renowned both at home and abroad.' ... and Deputy Chairman Air Vice Marshal John Tetley CB CVO has been appointed as one of two Deputy Chairmen to fill the vacancy left by Mr Nicholson's appointment.

He joined the Committee of Management in 1987, becoming a Vice President in 1996. He has served on the Search and Rescue Committee since 1989, becoming Chairman in 1992. He has also been a member of both the Boat and Shoreworks Committee and the Executive Committee since 1992. A keen boat owner, he is President of the Mullion and District Branch of the RNLI and a member of both The Lizard and Falmouth lifeboat station branches.

'I am very honoured to take up this appointment as a Deputy Chairman,' he said. 'I have visited all of the RNLI's 224 lifeboat stations and never fail to be impressed by the dedication of the volunteers who crew the lifeboats and those who raise the funds. I am very keen to give them every support through my work on the management committees.'First ever Splash and Dash provides fun and games for allJuly saw the first ever RNLI Splash and Dash take place in the Docklands Sailing Centre in London.

Over 100 people took part in this highly successful afternoon of fun and games.

The 'Up for it' teams of four came from a diverse range of backgrounds, from Goldman Sachs, Jardine Lloyd Thompson and the London Metal Exchange to teams from Ocean Leisure and a local pub, The Lord Nelson. The RNLI was represented by a team from the Margate lifeboat - whose pagers went off during one of the challenges. Fortunately they had booked their time off.Although the rain held off this didn't stop the teams from getting drenched as they ran across the water in hydro balls - a wet and wild challenge straight from the USA. On land the teams challenged each other to human table football.

Beer-keg racing and a giant game of Operation were just two of the other activities that tested body and mind.

After over three hours of Splashing and Dashing the participants were ready for a top notch barbecue, sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland, and accompanied by London Pride donated by the Fuller's Brewery.

The teams had until the end of August to return their sponsorship money - each one is aiming to raise a minimum of £500 for the RNLI.

And the winners were...

1st Louts of Leisure (Ocean Leisure) 2nd Norfolk & Chance 3rd Margate LifeboatRunning the Island RaceBeing Director of the RNLI is not the sort of job where you can sit in an office all day.

1"- . Director Andrew Freemantle ably demonstrated this in July, when he led the RNLI stage of the Island Race. The RNLI organised day 79 of the 100-day, round Britain relay known as The Island Race, a millennium special event, which started and ends at Gordonstoun in the Scottish Highlands. The race aims to raise £3 million for a raft of good causes, many of which have a maritime connection.

The lifeboat team objective was to convey a baton containing a special message from HRH The Princess Royal the 39 miles from Stranraer to Girvan in South West Scotland. A team of 32 runners from Flint, Stranraer and Girvan, included lifeboat crews, friends, RNLI Scotland fundraisers, and thebenefiting charities. The race was led off by Andrew Freemantle, accompanied by Chief of Operations Michael Vlasto.

The stage was safely completed in an hour less than best estimate. The runners were given a rousing welcome home in true Scottish tradition with the skirl of the pipes, and hospitality courtesy of Girvan Lifeboat Station barbecue..