Bruno backs the lifeboats Harwich lifeboatmen had a very special visitor in August, when Frank Bruno came to town promoting the wacky gameshow 'It's a Knockout'. The former heavyweight boxing champ was backing the RNLI's involvement with the game - helping to raise £3,000.

Two episodes of the Channel 5 programme were filmed at the Royal Hospital School in Holbrook with many lifeboat crew members, volunteers and supporters joining forces to form 'The Lifeboat Team'.

Harwich lifeboatmen also formed their own team - going head to head with Ipswich and Lowestoft in the competition and taking the lead right up until the final assault course where Ipswich were able to squeak in front to the delight of the huge crowds. The defeated Harwich team players were a little disappointed but were able to look on the bright side when they were given a post match hug from Knockout compere and model Nell McAndrew.

Fundraiser, Patsy Johnson, who helped organise the event for the RNLI said, 'After everyone had gone, the Harwich team were still there and she came over and gave them a big hug and she was not wearing a lot. I think they thought all their Christmases had come at once.'Up, up and away Profits soared yet again during Hoylake lifeboat station's open day when the Red Arrows put on an air display over the seafront on August Bank Holiday. The well established event, which was opened by actress Lesley Joseph of 'Birds of a Feather' fame, was a resounding success - bringing in over £20,000 for lifeboat funds for the third time running.

The air display from the famous RAF aerobatic team was backed up by the Super Decathlon Aerobic Aircraft, an RAF Jaguar, a Boeing Stearman Wingwalker and the North West Fire Brigade Parachutists- The air shows attracted thousands of visitors to the promenade, and the fair and side-shows kept the crowds entertained during the rare spell of August sunshine.

Lifeboats from West Kirby and New Brighton, together with a strong contingent of Coastguards, also supported the event - and bucket shakers, working tirelessly amongst the throng, collected in excess of £6,000.

Sarah's cash concert Rising country-rock star Sarah Jory (left) played a special solo acoustic concert on 6 October in aid of the Wells lifeboat-raising £1,700.

Sarah, who has been gigging non-stop in the UK and abroad for the past five years, recently achieved the accolade 'Best European Female Country-Rock Artist of the Year' and is considered to be one of the top five masters of the Steel guitar in the world.

The concert, compered by Keith Greentree of BBC Radio Norfolk, saw a packed audience at Fakenham community centre and was attended by special guest Becky Jago of Anglia Television.During 2000 members of The Boys' Brigade worked hard raising cash for their national lifeboat appeal which aims to fund four Atlantic 75 lifeboats.

Grimsby and district battalion organised a sponsored lifeboat push during a May weekend - boosting funds by £2,644. The event certainly sparked some interest from onlookers as the team pushed the display D class lifeboat through the busy streets of Lincolnshire.

Two Boys' Brigade companies from Bristol were also busy raising lifeboat funds - Twelfth Bristol netted £878 from a highly successful charity night held in June and Twenty-First Bristol organised a sponsored walk from Portishead to Weston Super Mare in April, raising a further £622.

Well done boys!Members of East Devon Artists for Charity exhibited their work at Brancombe and Seaton in 1999 to raise money for the lifeboats.

The exhibitions, which involved considerable work in setting up and manning, raised the rnagnicient sum of £11,000 which was handed over to Lyme Regis station and guild during a presentation in September (pictured above).The annual RNLI cocktail party held at Baltimore Sailing Club broke all previous records in August when it raised £5,400 for lifeboat funds.

The party, held on a delightful summer's evening, was attended by 137 people including many Baltimore lifeboat crew members and their partners and VIPs from both the RNLI and the sailing club.

In addition to the cocktails and delicious canapes prepared by club members, an auction was held offering many items for sale in aid of the lifeboats. Among the many desirables was a limited edition print of the Ballycotton lifeboat rescue donated by a local restaurant, which raised £1,000.Members of Hakin Point (Milford Haven) branch, having recently celebrated their 25th anniversary, called on Irish Ferries to pay tribute to the company's 21 years of lifeboat support in Wales and Ireland.

The branch's founder member, Ethel Clark, developed excellent relations with B&l Ferries in 1979 and as a result, many tens of thousands of pounds were raised for lifeboats. Since the company changed to Irish Ferries in 1993 an average of £4,000 per year has been received by the branch.Big cheque from a small town Committee members from llminster and district branch presented a cheque for £28,720 to Brian Martin, RNLI area organiser for the south west, during their AGM in April.

The money was the total raised by the branch from its souvenir shop and various fundraising activities. This is an excellent result considering the 26-year-old branch is situated in a small inland town inhabited by some 4,500 people (by Assistant Ed's calculations, that works out roughly an average donation of £6.40 each!) Generous legacy Facilities at Flint lifeboat station have been improved thanks to a £22,000 legacy left by Dorothy Bashford, a long standing and hard working member of Sutton Coldfield ladies guild.

The money has been used to upgrade crew quarters, refit the office and provide a lookout room. Branch members visited the station in July to see the improvements and Chairman Jill Carter unveiled a commemorative plaque.

The photograph shows Aian Forrester, Flint station secretary; Mike Lorenz, treasurer; Jill Carter, chairman and Crew Member Alwyn Dunn paying tribute To Dorothy's generosity.A new lifeboat for us - a clean car for you Duckhams recently announced that it would be funding a new Atlantic 75 lifeboat, which will replace the Atlantic 21 it donated some years ago. The company has also launched a deal whereby RNLI supporters can have a free car wash, worth up to £6, at many BP service stations in the UK when they buy Duckhams oil. See page 24 for full details of the offer.

New corporate officer for London Suzanne Long has joined the RNLI's London regional office to help co-ordinate and develop corporate activities in the London area, particularly the City. Trained and previously employed as a solicitor, Suzanne was keen to get involved in the voluntary sector and joined the RNLI in October.

Global Marine D class October saw the naming of a new D class funded by the employees of Giobai Marine and, in particular, the superb fundraising of Spike Johns. Spike ran several marathons, which helped to provide funding for the new boat. The naming ceremony was held in land locked Chelmsford - far from the sea but the head office of Global Marine. A big thank you to all concerned.

Fundraising at sea The cruise industry continues to do a sterling job in fundraising for the RNLI. Fred Olsen, which has recently raised enough money through on board events and raffles for a new Atlantic 75, continues to raise money at an incredible rate - thank you to all the guests and crew and keep up the great work. Page and Moy have also been raising money on several of their cruises and P&O Cruises have very generously sponsored a fantastic cruise prize for the next lottery. If you would like details of the next lottery, please call 0800 543210 and ask for some lottery books to be sent to you.

Marathon donation Rick Shapka, director strategic development at Finning UK, recently handed over a cheque for £1,100 to James Vaughan, RNLI corporate relations manager. This generous donation from Finning UK added to Rick's own impressive fundraising efforts when he ran the Flora London Marathon in aid of the RNLI.

Rick completed the race in April in just three hours and 53 minutes.Star support EastEnders star Andrew Lynford (AKA Walford's Simon Raymond), together with the two ugly sisters, gave his support to the lifeboats at Weston Super Mare recently during the town's 1999 Winter carnival.

Weston financial branch managed to enlist the help of the trio who were starring in the pantomime, Cinderella. The former Eastender was playing Buttons, with Roger Darrock and Stephen Mown as the ugly sisters.

Each year the branch, together with some of the local lifeboat crew members, takes part in the carnival and collects donations for the carnival fund which is then distributed to the nominated charities. Every year the RNLI is a benefactor and in 1998 lifeboat supporters collected around £1,100 receiving back some £650 for lifeboat funds.

It is hoped that the latest event, which was held in November, will result in a similar amount when the final figures are released.Dedicated followers of fashion helped boost Porthcawl lifeboat funds by £1,000 as a result of recent fashion show held in the local Hi-tide function rooms.

Wendy Conley, a Porthcawl shorehelper and branch fundraising committee member, came up with the idea and organised the event which gained the support of several local businesess.

Outfits and models were supplied by Bellissima with other local businesses arranging hair and providing flowers.

The finale of the show was a parade of models on the catwalk escorted by three lifeboatmen in full gear. Wendy said. 'It was the climax to an excellent evening that created that extra interest among the 200-strong audience. Next year we will aim to grow the event even more, but for a first attempt we are delighted with both the support and financial rewards.' Ulster rugby stars Andy Ward and Tyrone Howe (pictured above) helped tee-off the launch of ntl's Pro-Am golf tournament on 18 May at Dunmurry Golf Club in North Down.

Soccer great Kenny Dalglish was also a celebrity guest at the charity event which raised a massive £8,400 for the Portrush lifeboat appeal.

Over 40 professional golfers from all over Ireland and 130 of Northern Ireland's leading business figures took part in the tournament which was followed by a raffle and an auction of limited edition prints signed by many sporting personalities.

Award winners In September the RNLI was presented with the coveted Professional Fundraising Award 2000 for the 'Best regional or local fundraising campaign'.

The award was won jointly by four regional RNLI appeals - RNLI Cardiff, Sandwell Lifeboat appeal; RNLI Harrogate, BBC Radio Cleveland Lifeboat 2000; RNLI Hadleigh, EADT appeal and Warwickshire & Coventry appeal; and RNLI Eccles, Treasure Trove appeal.

The judges felt that 'each of the campaigns demonstrated honest-to-goodness fundraising that delivered good results. All four campaigns were well planned and executed, demonstrated excellent partnership building between volunteers and fundraisers and creativity in networking with schools, businesses and the media.' RNLI Hadleigh raised £76,300 against a target of £66.100 with an appeal held entirely inland and events which were run almost exclusively by volunteers. It received substantial media coverage and funds were also raised through media promotion. The Hadleigh branch was also noted for its appeal to raise £50,000 towards a new lifeboat station. It took place in partnership with the East Anglian Daily Times, which wanted to increase readership within the Essex area. The appeal attracted significant support, raising more than £52,400.

RNLI Harrogate aimed to raise £75,000 in two years in partnership with BBC Radio Cleveland.

Listeners of the station were encouraged to donate 50 pence, and appeals were broadcast hourly, with extensive celebrity support. £78,000 was raised in 50 weeks, with all costs borne by the radio station.

RNLI Cardiff aimed to raise £75,000 to fund a new inshore lifeboat for Aberdovey. Local RNLI branches formed an appeal committee and a detailed business plan was developed. It was structured to involve a broad spectrum of local community and generated strong media support.

The appeal raised £106,000.

RNLI Eccles wanted to raise income and awareness throughout the 175th anniversary year.

It set a target of £15,000 and issued press releases to local and regional media outlining details of events. This resulted in an offer of 10 days of free prime time evening television broadcasts, with a well-known Granada television presenter donating his annual television roadshow.

The roadshow visited ten lifeboat stations and collected used and broken jewellery to raise funds.

The appeal raised £18,500.Fimdiaiscrs from I)u n mi ire I .M held their 25th annual coffee morning at Walcrford Harbour sailing club in August - raising £4.574 for the local lifeboat station.

( .mil I'nmsc. function committee chairman and Nicky WaKh. commodore of ihc cluh. presented Marina Harris, coffee morning coordinator, with a bouquet to mark her 25 years of haul work.

Around £100 was raised for lifeboats in november at a fashion party held by Accr-inglcm guild. The event, held at ihe home of branch chairman Beverley Whittaker. also saw the presentation of her RNLI silver badge by regional manager Elaine Close. Box secretary Doreen Holmes said 'The evening was a terrific success and enjoyed by all who came.' For the past four years M;il)lcthi»rpe guild have been holding lea dances on Tucsdu afternoons. The highly successful events are organised by Denis Joyce.

who is ahl .issued by oilier members of the guild.

and have realised £8.(XX) for lifeboat coffers.

Havle branch held a 'Cream tea in the garden' in July which raised £323 for lifeboat coffers. The event.

held at Riverside in Angarrack. also included a bring and buy sale and a raffle as well as many Malls selling plants and refreshments.

In JuK. Malvern branch was blessed with a fine evening for a concert by the 5th Athan voluntary band in the grounds of Madresfield court. Picknickers enjoyed an excellent programme.

which included some fine singing by .soprano Siriol Williams. The event raised £1.874 for the lifeboats.

CORRECTION TO ARTK U In ihe Fundrasicrs section of the Autumn issue of The Hfebtwt we published a item on page 41 entitled 'Busy month'.

The article incorrectly slated that £6.000 was raised by two banks managers visiting all the Scottish mainland branches of the Ro al Bank of Scotland, when they were in fact branches of the Bank of Scotland.

The Lifeboat apologies for any confusion or incovenience caused by this error.

NOTJCE TO CONTRlbUTORS: We are always pleased lo receive any material intended for puHicaiion. However, due to space restrictions and the huge quantity of submissions received, it is impossible to publish every article received.

In order to keep administration costs down, contributions "ill not usuulU bt acknowledged Every contribution is considered and we do try to be as fair as possible. So keep those articles coming in - yours could be featured next time..