Up, up and away Win the trip of a lifetim Virgin Balloon Flights have an exhilarating hot air balloon holiday to give away, plus a great-value offer on UK balloon flight vouchers.

Your chance to win You and your partner could win the opportunity to pilot a hot air baltoon through the clear Italian skies early next year. During the week-long trip to Cuneo, Italy, the winner will stay at the luxurious four-star Lovera Palace Hotel and join an exclusive group of prize winners at the foot of the Italian Alps to begin their Virgin Balloon Flights flying experience.

The holiday will include 'hands-on burner1 piloting - actually flying the balloon - cooling off with wine tasting in the worldfamous Barolo Vineyards, skiing in the Italian Alps, and shopping and visiting the casinos of Monte Carlo - an amazing experience not to be forgotten! You, your family and friends can enter by sending name, address, postcode and telephone number to: VIRGIN BALLOON ITALY PRIZE DRAW, Supporter Care, RNLI, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1HZ or by emailtng [email protected]. Closing date for competition entries is 3 December 2004.

Terms and conditions: Entrants must be able to attend the Virgin Balloon Italy Flight School between 29 January and 5 February 2005. Open to UK residents aged 18 and over excluding employees of Virgin Balloon Flights and RNLI.

For full terms and conditions ring 0845 1Z1 4999. For more information, visit www.virginballoonftights.co.uk.

The RNLI never give your information to other organisations.

Your details will be used by the RNLI trading companies only. If you do not want to receive information about other ways to support the RNLI, please state on your entry. DPAHelp raise funds for The Lifeboat College The new fire training simulator described on page 7 will allow crews to practise the valuable skills required to fight a fire onboard whilst under realistic and stressful conditions. They can be faced with a number of decisions that could make the difference between survival or tragedy in real life.

You can help raise funds to provide the remaining equipment needed in the simulator, virgin Balloon Rights will pay £15 to the RNLI* for every UK balloon flight booked as a result of this promotion. What's more. Virgin Balloon Flights are offering you, your family and friends UK balloon flights at the special price of £130 - 30% off the normal flight voucher price of £189. So there has never been a better time to treat yourself or a loved one to a flight of fancy - the perfect gift for Christmas, birthdays and other special occasions.

To book your flight from any of the more than 86 UK launch sites or purchase a gift voucher, please call Virgin Balloon Flights on 0870 444 2768, quoting 'RNLI Lifeboat magazine reader offer1.

Vouchers are valid for 12 months from the date of issue.

So why not give a really different gift this year and help keep the RNLI afloat.Credit where credit's due The Royal Bank of Scotland Supporting the RNLI ers) Chanty No 2WA03 The Lifeboats MasterCard has gone from strength to strength, with almost £80,000 raised by cardholders during 2003. This money is being put to good use, helping to train staff and volunteer crews. Together, money from Bishop Skinner (see right), and the Lifeboats MasterCard has equipped the Learning Resource Centre within The Lifeboat College {see page 35).

Thank you to all cardholders for achieving this wonderful amount and to The Royal Bank of Scotland for supporting the RNLI over many years. For every new account opened, The Royal Bank of Scotland will contribute £10 to the RNLI, plus another £5 if you use your new card 10 times or more in the first month- After that, 25p will be donated for every £100 you spend.

This year we are aiming to raise £100,000 from the card so if you would like to find out more about the Lifeboats MasterCard or request an application pack please call 0800 444 201, quoting LIF9.

BISHOP SKINNER INSURANCE BROKERS Take advantage Bishop Skinner, independent insurance brokers, has been supporting the RNLI for more than five years. The Bishop Skinner 'Advantage' marine insurance scheme offers discounted marine insurance to RNLI Offshore members and 2.5% of the policy premiums are donated to the RNLI. In the last five years this has raised over £145,000.

In 2003 alone, these policies raised almost £45,000. This, along with money raised by the Lifeboats MasterCard, is being put towards the new Learning Resource Centre in the Lifeboat College (see page 35).

If you would like to take advantage of the Bishop Skinner Advantage scheme, simply upgrade from Shoreline to Offshore membership or, if you're an RNLI Governor, opt to receive Offshore benefits. Telephone the RNLI Supporter Services Helpdesk to find out more: 0845 121 4999.

For more details of the insurance scheme and a quotation please call 0800 783 8057 or visit www.bishopskinner.com.Gift a share Are you the owner of shares? Are they a small holding worth under £ 100? Such amounts of shares are often difficult or even impossible to dispose of because of the costs involved. Even the RNLI finds it uneconomic to accept them. Well, now a solution is at hand.

ShareGift, the charity share donation scheme, exists to make it easy for you to give any number of shares to charity.

ShareGift specialises in accepting small holdings of shares, even those of little value. It collects the shares, sells them en masse and then uses the proceeds to make charitable donations. mane Donating is easy: simply send your share certificates to ShareGift, 46 Grosvenor Street, London W1K 3HN and nominate the RNLI as your chosen charity. ShareGift will then send you a transfer form to sign. It's as simple as that. So please donate your small value shares to the RNLI via ShareCift. For more information visit www.sharegift.co.uk.

If you would like to discuss donating shares with a value of over £100, please contact Tizzy Perkins, Corporate Fundraising Manager, on 01202 663295 or email [email protected].

Rescue at sea We are pleased to announce that Chrysalis Books Group Pic has generously offered to donate £2.50 for each copy sold of the new release, Rescue at Sea. To find out more about this book, please read the review on page 44, You can also enter the free prize draw to win one of ten copies. If you're not successful, you can always purchase this fascinating book through the RNLI Sales Company and details are on page 9.In memory More than 60% of the RNU's income is from Legacies - that is, gifts left to the RNU in the Wills of deceased supporters. Similarly, a constant stream of generous and heartfelt gifts is received from the relatives and friends of departed supporters in celebration of their lives or in thanks to the RNU. Both of these are such private areas of finance for most people that the RNU finds it increasingly hard to plan for such income. But some examples follow of the kind of gift, large and small, that really makes a difference.

Two more on the Thames Two new lifeboats on the Thames were named recently. The first, in memory of those who lost their lives in the tragic collision between the Marchioness and the Bowbelle in 1989, was named by England rugby captain, Lawrence Dallaglio, whose sister, Francesca, died in the tragedy. After the service of dedication, there were two minutes of silence during which the RNU crew laid 51 roses on the river in memory of the 51 lives lost.

The new craft was named The Legacy after a generous bequest from Lieutenant Philip Francis Spencer King.

The second lifeboat was provided by a substantial bequest from life-long RNLI supporters Ray and Audrey Lusty and was given their name.

Wayne Bellamy, RNLI Station Manager at Chiswick lifeboat station said: Yd like to express our sincere thanks to them, as legacies such as theirs are critically important to the service we provide as a charity.' Lindsey and son honoured Richard Lindsey was a Master Mariner, sailing on several ships, including the 55 Uganda.

He tragically died last year, only five days after his father also died following a long illness. Even at this distressing time his mother Joyce Lindsey kindly donated £100 to honour the memory of her husband and son.

If you would like to find out more about including a legacy to the RNLI in a Will then please contact John Marshall, Legacy Enquiry Officer, on 01202 663032 or [email protected].

If you would like to make a gift to the RNLI in memory of someone else or for any other reason, please contact the RNLI Supporter Services Helpdesk on 0845 121 4999, or Sarah Sleigh, the RNLI's new Personal Donations Manager, on [email protected] the Island - twice A tough challenge in memory of RNLI supporter and keen yachtsman David Knight has raised over £ 11,000 for the RNLI.

David was sadly killed in a road accident in November 2003 and his son Joe was keen to boost his father's favourite charity in a way that saluted his passion and spirit. Joe and six friends decided to attempt to sail around the Isle of Wight twice, without stopping. David had been a competitor in the Round the Island race every year since 1982.

Setting out in a Hunter 707, Bogo Pogo, Joe and his crew got off to a promising start. Strong winds helped them complete the first lap of the island in less than eight hours.

But conditions worsened - the tide was against them and rain began to fall and they had a problem with one of the sails. Eventually, the sun reappeared and the wind made a welcome return. After 22 hours and 24 minutes at sea, cheers of relief rang out among the crew as they crossed the finish line at Cowes.

'We would like to thank everyone who has sponsored us, making this a truly successful event, as well as all our supporters on the island who gave us a wonderful reception on our return,' said Joe. He hopes to raise even more money for the RNLI. Logon to www.justgiving.com/davidknight for more details.New in the North On 1 September the RNLI North East and Northwest regional teams merged to form a new North region. This merger is the result of a review of the regional operation, taking into account a decline in the number of branches and guilds and rising costs. The RNLI constantly strives to ensure that it operates as cost effectively and efficiently as possible and this decision has been made in an effort to achieve this.

The new region is managed by Elaine Close and operates from the original North West office in Manchester. Chris Goodall, the former North East regional manager, has taken on a new role to manage a significant new fundraising campaign for the RNLI as a whole. The new region has an experienced team of support staff, six area fundraising managers, a regional education officer.

events organiser, sea safety coordinator and a visitor centre coordinator for Blackpool.

Contact details for the new office are: RNLI, 18 Half Edge Lane, Eccles, Manchester, M30 9CJ Tel: 01617878779 Fax: 0161 7878926Get festive! You may have just missed the Great Scottish Run and the Great North Run but there's still time to get involved in the RNLI Run up to Christmas. Yes, Christmas is just around the corner...

The festive season gets off to a cracking start at Moors Valley Country Park in Dorset on Sunday 28 November. It is the perfect opportunity to get trim and raise valuable funds for the RNLI in a 5km fun run or 10km race.

This is a great event for all the family and, if running isn't your thing, then why not come and support others. Feel free to relax around the park and play area, learn about local wildlife in the visitor centre, ride the steam train at the Moors Valley Railway or just have a cup of tea in the cafe.

For further information contact Clare Kavanagh on 01202 663205 or [email protected] or visit www.rnli.org.uk/events.

Just think about it - all that open air and the exhilaration of crossing the line...

RNLI RUN UP TO ~"RISTMAS AND 5K FUN RUN * SUNDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2004 10.30am. Moors Valley Country Park Morton Road. Ashley Heath, Nr Ringwood, BH26 2ET .' 1202 663205 Goody tag, mince pic and » cup of mulled win* l.i i.

or hoi chocolate tor alt competitors. IS 1* Prizes lor winners and fancy dress LifebOBt SA celebration of Grace The spring 2004 issue of the Lifeboat reported that the RNLI's Grace Darling Museum in Bamburgh is to be refurbished and redeveloped with the help of a specific appeal. We are delighted to report that this appeal has now received nearly £1M from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

More than 40,000 visitors go to the volunteer-run museum annually to see the extensive collection of artefacts, which the HLF consider to be of national importance.

Remaining unchanged since the 1930s, many exhibits have been in danger due to unsuitable environmental storage conditions. Maureen La Frenais, the RNLI Museum Redevelopment Project Manager, says:'the RNLI is delighted to have such positive support from the HLF.'Although the RNLI hopes that the new museum will open in 2006, it still needs to find the remaining funding, amounting to nearly £400,000 before the project can commence.

Anyone wishing to help preserve the heroic memory of Grace Darting for the nation can do so by contributing to the appeal online at www.mli.org.uk/gracedariing or by contacting the RNLI's new regional office North on 0161 787 8779.Thank you As the RNLI is a charity that relies on public support, the construction and fitting out of The Lifeboat College was only possible thanks to the generosity of people like you. Membership subscriptions, donations and other gifts from many thousands of supporters have all contributed. The RNLI would like to thank all of its supporters, with a particular mention of the following people and organisationsMr Stanley Rowley kindly paid for 40 sets of dry suits, Musto suits and boots for the Survival Centre in memory of his dearly departed late wife.

Mrs PhylCleare, a regular supporter of the RNLI, dedicated all the Gift Aid monies on her recent donations for the benefit of the College.

Dr Ratsey made a generous donation in 2003 for the benefit of the College.

Mrs Christine Louisa Miller donated £20,000 towards the coxswain position in the simulator in memory of her late husband Norman. Following Mrs Miller's own death the RNLI received a legacy of a further £20,000, which has paid for a heavy-duty forklift truck for use in the Lifeboat Support Centre.

Mrs Doris Edna and Mr Eric Ian Fowkes made a donation to the cost of the inshore lifeboat workshop.

Mr Robert Braithwaite MBE, from Sunseeker International, made a very generous donation.

A substantial portion of the £310,000 raised from the purchase by MrWilliam I Koch of the Hennessy's Eaux-de-vle collection at the 150th anniversary of the America's Cup in 2001 went to Seminar Room 1 in the College.

Generous legacies were received from: Mr Howard Cragg Miss Olive Margaret Evans Mr George Norton Harvey Mrs Ada Hewson Mr Richard Anthony Jones Mrs Rona O'Neill MrWilliam Edwin Pemberton Mr Robert William Prosser Mrs Vera Gertrude Lilian Varty Dr Edith Romeyn Murray Aertsen Watts Mrs Betty Irene Huntbatch Mr Roy Sykes Parkinson Mrs Sylvia Beryl Pavitt Mrs Peggy Irene RaynerVery generous donations raised by the affinity schemes operated by The Royal Bank of Scotland and Bishop Skinner Marine Insurance, have funded equipment in the Learning Resource Centre, which will benefit crew, staff and volunteers throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland (see page 35 for more details).

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, as part of their continued efforts to raise £150,000 for crew training, have agreed that £32,000 will be used to equip three syndicate rooms within the College.

Civil Service Motoring Association (CSMA) have continued their long-standing relationship with the RNLI by donating £28,500 for the instructor station in the simulator and over £6,000 to fit out the outboard engine test area.

Other corporate donors include: P&O Cruise Lines Page & Moy Williamson & Magor (producers of Lifeboat Tea) Royal Haskoning Dean & Dyball Brown & Son Faber Maunsell Barclays African Pride Wines Drayton Manor Theme Park The Worshipful Company of Shipwrights made a donation of £15,000 for the training rooms' audio visual system.

The Gosling Foundation made a generous donation.

A large number of Charitable Trusts came together to grant funds of over £ 150,000 toward the live engine workshop in the Survival Centre. Major donors included: Kinsurdy Trust Monica Rabagliati Trust Canton Furze Settlement Michael Burgess Trust.