For teams of RNLI supporters who were game for an adventure and wanted to help raise funds for the lifeboats, all they needed were some crew and some wheels to take part in the RNLI Lifeboat Challenge.The 2001 North East Lifeboat Challenge The Mission: To visit as many as possible operational RNLI lifeboat stations in the UK and Republic of Ireland Time allowed: 48 hours, from 6pm Friday, 13 July until 6pm Sunday, 15 July Provisions required: Any form of transport and three friends Rewards: Comradeship, bonding, fun and the satisfaction of knowing you're helping save lives.The mission, for those who chose to accept it, was to visit as many UK and Republic of Ireland lifeboat stations as possible, within 48 hours, and return with the evidence. Sounded easy but some stations are pretty tricky to find and, although directions are provided, one or two can turn into quite a search.

The fun didn't stop there as teams could choose to complete the challenge by whatever method of transport they liked - by skates, scooter, horse, helicopter or just by good old motor car. Teams paid a nominal entrance fee and each member promised to raise at least £100 in sponsorship. Taking part was great fun with the added bonus of a chance to win a prestigious trophy while helping to raise vital funds.During the weekend of 13-15 July teams of 'road runners' battled it out as pan of the 2001 North East Lifeboat Challenge, with proud winners Humberside Fire Brigade scooping the trophy for visiting 63 lifeboat stations during their two-day coastal adventure. The fire crew said that they had even remained on speaking terms after spending 48 hours along the coastline cooped up together in their white van! Teams all set off from Guy Salmon Land Rover in Leeds, having plotted and navigated their routes to include as many stations as possible within the time allowed. Participants were pleased that the sweltering heatwave from the previous week had abated and they were able to take on the challenge in more comfortable temperatures.

Britannia Rescue, the RNLI's official motoring rescue scheme, sent out a team to take on the challenge. Its four-strong team took turns in driving and navigating and their route strategy took them from Brldlington to Kippford, via North Berwick, Largs and Stranrear, - clocking around 1,000 miles in total. Members of the team said 'It wasn't easy looking for lifeboat stations in the dark and being woken up to have a photo taken was a real drag. Thi team spirit was excellent, however, an unforgettable experience - and we felt a sense of achievement knowing that we were raising funds to help the RNLI continue saving lives at sea The event proved to be a grea success, giving teams the thrill c the challenge and helping to rais sponsorship money for the RNLI If you think you've got what it takes to take part in the Lifeboat Challenge or a similar Team Lifeboat events check out our future events list for details.Future Team Lifeboat events 7 October - 4x4 Challenge, at a secret location in Manchester. Contact Toby Jeffries on 0161 7285911 15-16 October - 24-Hour Bowling Marathon, Hollywood Bowl, Leeds. Contact Catherine Kaye on 01423 881000 18 October - Karting Challenge, Suffolk.

Contact Laura Fagg on 01473 822837 29 October - Adidas Dublin Marathon, Dublin.

Contact RNLI Dublin office (00 353 1) 284 5050 10 November - Viva Las Vegas casino evening, City of London. Contact Heidi Shrimpton on 020 7839 3385 18 November - Karting Challenge, Manchester.

Contact Toby Jeffries on 0161 728 5911 9 December - 5km run (London Marathon training), Royal Victoria Country Park, Netley near Southampton. Contact David Griffiths on 01825761466.£207 - enough money to kit out one lifeboatman with a drysuit.Splashing success James Nesbitt, star of television's Cold Feet, lent his support to the exciting and wild RNLI event, Splash and Dash, which took place on 22 June at Shaws Bridge Sports Association in Belfast.

A County Antrim man, James holds lifeboats close to his heart and helped raise the profile of the event, which saw many corporate teams and groups of families and friends battle it out against each other on some of the most thrilling games around.

Cool FM provided lively radio banter before the event, with competing teams phoning in to promote their company and stake their claim on the prizes.

Games included human table football, trekking across a jungle run, crawling through a foam minefield, water pole jousting and racing electronic kegs. Winners were Progressive Building Society but competition was tight with David Lloyd taking second and John Thompson & Sons in third place.

There were spot prizes throughout the day and a sizzling barbecue to finish the action-packed, sunny, afternoon. All teams thoroughly enjoyed the day and are already planning their tactics for next year! This was the first Splash and Dash event run by the RNLI in Northern Ireland and it proved to be a great success. Over £12,000 was raised in sponsorship, with most companies exceeding the £600 sponsorship fee and Stenaline raising £2,636.

£12,000 - enough money to buy an electronic chart system and GPS satellite navigator. K H H Winning fundraising friends An excellent way for branches and guilds to raise money within their community is to ask groups, clubs, businesses and individuals to do a fundraising event for their branch or guild.

Just one example of how this is working is the longstanding association between the Crown Hotel in Weymouth and the local station branch.

The Crown started raising money for the branch some 20 years ago and the first year saw a presentation of £250. This annual sum has increased steadily over the years and, for the last few years, has been in excess of £2,000. The record was broken again recently when Crown Hotel manager, Munro Ross, presented Weymouth station branch secretary, Derek Sargent, with a cheque for £2,500, which was raised by holding raffles and other events at the hotel.

However, the friendship goes back almost 100 years as the branch used to hold its AGM at the hotel. In November 1904 a special supper was held at the Crown to say farewell to retiring secretary, Henry Warren, who had given his service to the station since 1890. Henry Warren made a remark that evening which still holds true today. He said, The post of honorary secretary is not all sunshine or pleasure, for when the stormy winds are blowing his thoughts, by night especially, are full of anxieties as to the services of the lifeboat being momentarily required to render aid to save life.'£2,500 - enough money to buy a Severn class propeller and an Atlantic 75 stainless steel propeller.BP pushes the boat out In January, Aberdeen branch chairman, Alastair Lindsay, paid thanks to Steve Marshall, BP regional president Scotland, during an official presentation recognising the company's generosity to the RNLI.

Last year BP made a major donation of £100,000 as the result of an appeal to buy a new Severn class lifeboat for the north east. The new all-weather boat Bon Accord, was delivered to Aberdeen lifeboat station last July and, since then, has taken part in many shouts. However, this is not the first time BP has made a large donation to the RNLI - back in 1976 the company contributed around £70,000 toward the cost of the Arun class lifeboat, BP Forties.

Bring and buy Cardigan branch chairman, Ian Gollop, recently held a bring and buy coffee morning at his home - helping to boost lifeboat funds by £1,450.

Invitations for the event were printed in English and Welsh, producing an attendance of over 300 people. During the sale the local Atlantic 75 lifeboat crew provided a demonstration on the River Teifi. at the rear of lan's house, for the gathered guests.

£1,450 - enough money to buy seven ILB lifejackets.Britannia to the rescue The 94th lifeboat lottery raised £227,000 for lifeboats and first prize - a 5-door Suzuki Ignis car worth £8.000, kindly donated by Britannia Rescue - was scooped by Mrs DE Henderson of West Sussex.

The cash prize winners were as follows: £1,000-MrJ Double, Cheshire £500 - Mrs F Hunt, Middlesex £250 - Mrs D Douglass, Essex £100 - Miss CL Woodham, Essex; Mrs G Frost, Dorset; Mr and Mrs TC McAdam, Lancashire; Mr P Bradshaw, West Sussex; Mr R Locke, Worcester.

£227,000 - enough money to buy 16 D class lifeboats Mastercard team brave the rapids The team from The Royal Bank of Scotland, who manage the lifeboat MasterCard, have raised £1,450 in sponsorship for the RNLI - their team entered the RNLI's Whitewater rafting event held earlier this year in Wales.

£1,450 - enough money to buy a VHF radio for an Atlantic 75 lifeboat and a basket type stretcher.Masons give a grand The Old Cliftonian Lodge of Freemasons recently presented a cheque for £1,000 to RNLI fundraising and marketing director, David Brann. as a result of a year long appeal to its members.

James King presents a cheque to David Brann Stamp collections The RNLI is very grateful to all those who have, in the past, collected used postage stamps to help raise funds. However, in the last few years the amount paid for every kilo has fallen to such a point where it has only been maginally wonhwhile to continue, bearing in mind the costs of processing.

sorting and storage The price paid for used stamps seems likely to continue to fall so it is with much regret that the RNLI has decided to bring a close to its long standing stamp appeal For all those who still wish to forward stamps they have collected, the RNLI will be pleased to accept them up until the end of October 20X31.Blondes have more funds Members of Sennen Cove lifeboat, together with their families and friends, went through a dramatic image change on 28 July when they decided to 'go blonde' to raise money for lifeboats. In total, 31 people had their hair dyed - raising over £1,500.

Local hair stylist Gary Stuart and his staff gave up their time and worked hard at the Old Success Inn, Sennen Cove, to dye everybody in just a few hours. Gary even managed to get his suppliers to donate the dye for the event. £1,500 - enough to buy six first aid kit backpacks.Hennessy auction raises £31 OfOOO! A unique collection of Hennessy cognac raised £310,000 for the lifeboats when it was auctioned by Phillips Auctioneers on 22 August. The cognac was sold to The America's Cup winner Bill Koch at The America's Cup Jubilee Ball held at Cowes on the Isle of Wight. 'I spent $68m to win The America's Cup - this was a lot cheaper', said Bill immediately after the auction.

The collection, 31 bottles of Hennessy eaux-de-vie representing every race in the history of The America's Cup, saw frantic and competitive bidding in a charged atmosphere. The cognac has been specially assembled from the Hennessy cellars - the first time Hennessy has released vintage cognacs - making it an exceptionally rare collection. The entire collection is housed in a specially commissioned oak and teak cabinet.

James Vaughan, RNLI corporate relations manager, said, The RNLI is absolutely delighted to receive such a generous donation. We would like to pass on our thanks to Bill Koch, Phillips Auctioneers and to Hennessy for their fantastic support.' £310,000 - Enough money to buy three Atlantic 75 and four D class lifeboats.A cause close to their heartsAudrey Lawson-Johnson and her brother Warren Pearl recently received a plaque and framed photographs of appreciation in recognition of their efforts to fund a D class lifeboat in memory of their mother Amy Lea Warren Pearl.

Buying and equipping the £14,000 lifeboat was a natural choice of charity project for the pair, whose parents were rescued from the liner SS Lusitania when it was torpedoed by a German U-boat in May 1915. Audrey, barely a year old at the time of the rescue, was also snatched from the sea although, sadly, her two other sisters were drowned in the tragedy. Warren was born a short while later as a result of his parents' lucky escape.Lifeboat-related reading The story of the Dungeness lifeboats The closed lifeboat stations of Northumberland by Jeff Morris Jeff continues his research into RNLI lifeboat history with two more of his excellent books, covering the lifeboats of Dungeness and the closed stations of Northumberland.

Copies of both books are available from Jeff for £2.50 each (inc. p&p) at 14 Medina Road. Coventry CV6 5JB.

The history of the Appledore lifeboat station 1824-2000 by Joe Ball An interesting and thorough insight into 175 years of lifesaving by Appledore lifeboats. Available for £5.00 (inc.

p&p) from Coxswain Mike Bowden, 8 Hillcliff Terrace, Appledore, Devon.

Barry Dock lifeboat station 1901-2001 by Colin Davies Barry Dock lifeboat station notched up 100 years of lifesaving in June this year and this book, which explores the history of the station, has been published to celebrate the occasion. All money raised from sales goes to the RNLI. Copies are available for £12 (plus £1.00 UK p&p) from Barry Dock lifeboat station, Pier Head, Barry Docks, Barry CF625QS.

The story of the Forest Row Lifeboat Choir by Frankie and Peter Garrett Forest Row Lifeboat Choir was founded in 1946 as a result of the Mary Stanford disaster of 1928. By singing carols at Christmas, the choir has raised sufficient funds to purchase two D class lifeboats. Copies of this book, which traces the inspiring history of the choir, are available for a minimum donation of £3.50 (inc. p&p) from the authors at 8 Willow Close, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 2DQ. Cheques should be made payable to 'RNLI Forest Row Branch'.

Newbiggin lifeboat station - the first 150 years by Richard Martin Newbiggin lifeboat station is 150 years old this year and recently received the Gratitude of the Institution on Vellum in recognition of this record. Lifeboat mechanic Richard Martin has captured the story of the station in this book, which is available direct from the author for £6.00 (plus £1.50 p&p) at 3 Windsor Gardens. Newbiggin by the Sea, Northumberland NE64 6UN.

An audience with Norman Norman Croucher, who has two artificial legs, enthralled an audience of 200 people in Topsham recently when he spoke of his amazing climbing exploits.

Norman, who has climbed mountains over five miles high despite his disability, raised over £1,800 from the talk, which was split between RNLI Topsham branch and the Estuary League of Friends.

The photograph shows Norman presenting a cheque to representatives of the Topsham branch and Estuary League of Friends. Piciur*. Nichols TOYTW..