A light in the darkness As announced in the spring 2005 issue of the Lifeboat, the RNLI ran an advertisement on selected cable and satellite TV channels during April.

Filmed as if from the perspective of a casualty struggling in the water and waiting to be rescued, the advert invited people to donate to the RNLI to help ensure its 'light in the darkness' is not extinguished.

Approximately £11,000 was raised from this first showing, with an average gift of £52 and more than 90% of donors signing up to direct debit, providing the RNLI with a more predictable income. There was a second round of screenings in July, the results of which were yet to be evaluated at the time of writing, and there will be another this October.Lifesaving partner Marine safety equipment manufacturer Crewsaver has for many years designed lifejackets and buoyancy aids for RNLI crews. It has now been officially appointed as a 'supplier to and supporter of the RNLI' in recognition of this long-term relationship.

The appointment allows Crewsaver to publicise its connection with the RNLI and, through specific promotions, help raise funds and increase membership. In future, all Crewsaver lifejackets and buoyancy aids sold will come with promotional material designed to encourage both adults and children to support the RNLI.

Crewsaver advisers have also helped by joining the RNLI on its stand at the Southampton Boat Show to talk about lifejackets and demonstrate their use.A group of In-Pensioners from the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, had a tour of The Lifeboat College in Poole earlier this year to see the fruits of their fundraising efforts. Over the years, Chelsea Pensioners have raised several £ 100,000s for the RNLI. On average, they collect between £10,000 and £20,000 for the RNLI during the London Boat Show alone.

They showed great pride in The Lifeboat College and the RNLI is equally proud of their efforts: one Thames lifeboat is named The Chelsea Pensioner in their honour and the first Atlantic 85 B class naming took place at the Royal Hospital on 27 April (above).

The RNLI's last ever Severn class lifeboat was named at a special ceremony in Poole on 5 May by RNLI Engineering Manager, Bob Cripps, on his last day in the job. Bob was instrumental inproducing this class of all weather lifeboat, which was introduced into active service in 1995 and, at 17m in length, remains the largest boat in the RNLI's fleet.

Margaret, Joan and Fred Nye is a £2M craft and was paid for by a total of five legacies, generously left to the RNLI. The main donor, Miss Joan Nye, requested that the lifeboat should be named in memory of herself and her parents. The four remaining legacies were from Miss Clara Hilda Gabriel Willis of St Ives, Mrs Margaret Jane Howarth of Cheshire, Miss Mabel Lingard of South Yorkshire and Mr Edwin Oakenfull of London. MrOakenfull's legacy was made in memory of his dear friend Mr Rudkin Lewis Attwood, known as Tubby'. A generous gift from Mrs JM Barnsley of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, provided vital equipment on board the new lifeboat.

Following her successful first launch atTenby, Pembrokeshire, in May (see the summer 2005 issue of the Lifeboat) the preproduction Tamar class lifeboat was officially named on 6 July at The Lifeboat College in Poole, Dorset. The first of its kind, lifeboat number 16-01 became the Peter and Lesley-Jane Nicholson, in honour of the former RNLI Chairman and his wife, who performed the ceremony.

The price tag for this state-of-the-art lifeboat was £2M and it was paid for by legacies very kindly left to the RNLI by: Mrs Margaret Mary Cripps of Worthing, Mrs Gladys Jean Thompson of Mablethorpe, Miss Eileen Mary Bate of Cheshire, Miss Joan Wood of Harrogate, Miss Lydia Scarff of Norwich; and Mrs Tessa Gladys Florence Jacobs of Doncaster. They were all supporters of the RNLI during their lifetimes and continued their support by remembering the charity under the terms of their Wills.

If you would like to arrange a gift for the RNLI in your Will, see page 13. Look out for the new Tamar class lifeboat on display at the London Boat Show (North Hall, stand N1115) in January 2006.Sending out an SMS Alongside its traditional forms of fundraising, the RNLI used texting this year for only the second time on beaches patrolled by its beach lifeguards. Beach goers were offered a chance to win a Beachbeat surfboard by sending the SMS message 'BEACH' to a dedicated number.

Their entry then provided an opportunity to donate to the RNLI and become regular Beach Life supporters. This channel of communication proved very popular as people take little money to the beach but rarely travel very far from their mobile phones! It was also an effective way of building a relationship with a whole new range of potential supporters who would normally be unlikely to have any contact with the RNLI. (See page 7.)Lifeboat snapshots Award-winning photographer Steve Bicknell has captured the RNLI's character with a series of photographs from around the UK and Republic of Ireland in the 2006 Heroes of the Sea calendar. Each month shows the RNLI at work: both rural and town lifeboat stations, many in remote and picturesque locations; the brave volunteer crews and beach lifeguards; the changing technology of the lifeboats and the changing face of rescues. The calendar is available for £8.99 through the RNLI's mail order catalogue, RNLI shops and the website: rnlishop.org.uk (stock code 28664). The RNLI will also receive a 65p donation for every calendar sold outside the RNLI.

Some selected shops also stock a range of Steve's shots as note cards to use for any occasion.Barclays House dominates the skyline at Poole and this year the company has had a strong presence at the RNLI too.

Volunteers from Barclays gave their time at the RNLI headquarters open day on 16 July and assisted RNLI membership recruiters in signing up new members.

Now, as part of the Barclays community investment programme, they have agreed a £30,000 donation towards the RNU's Primary and Secondary school packs: AH Aboard and Get on Board. These teaching resources are designed to help put an end to beach and sea-related accidents involving children. (See page 42 for news of more RNLI school education and beach safety projects.)'If you haven't seen Beyond the breakers already I urge you to go and see it. You won't be disappointed."! shivered as one crew spent 11 hours getting back to shore, had my heart in my mouth as another group tried to get sailors off a cargo boat in heavy seas and felt pride at the achievements of the lifeboatmen.'These are just two reviews for a play by the touring theatre company Eastern Angles, which toured East Anglia this spring and summer.

The drama told the story of the north Norfolk lifeboats and their crews, providing an insight into their rescues, rivalries and real lives and used the words of those who were there. The fictional character Hangdog, a lifeboatman of the old school and an even older fishing family, talked about the heroes of old; and the current leader of the crew, Jimbo, pondered on the difficulties of training young crew who no longer have the knowledge of the sea previously taken for granted.

Unfortunately for our readers, the tour has come to an end, but a lasting tribute to the crews was provided by the theatre company. After every performance Eastern Angles used buckets to collect a total of over £2,000 for the Clacton Lifeboat Appeal to fund a new B class Atlantic 85 lifeboat. RNLI Appeal Manager Stella Dubbin said: 'We are incredibly grateful to Eastern Angles for collecting this money and are now well on our way with the appeal.''Highly motivated, totally committed' RNLI volunteer Peter Thomson from Whitby, North Yorkshire, has been named Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year. Peter was the driving force behind the £30,000 appeal to provide launching equipment for Whitby lifeboat station. He eventually raised £110,000.

Forty years before, Peter had joined Whitby's lifeboat crew, eventually becoming Coxswain/Mechanic. Credited with saving at least 135 lives, he received the RNLI's Bronze Medal for Gallantry in 1988 and the MBE on his retirement in 1993. He continues as Honorary Curator of the RNLI's Whitby museum, which was founded by his father in 1957.

Lindsay Boswell of the Institute of Fundraising said: 'We hope this award goes some way to show how much Peter's time and effort means. Volunteers are absolutely vital to the successful work of charities.' Peter himself had not expected the award: 'I was absolutely gobsmacked. I couldn't have done it without support from the Whitby RNLI volunteers over the years.'Volunteer taster r Could you take on seasonal shoppers with serenity while raising valuable funds for the RNLI? Is there a vacant unit in your high street that would do nicely as a temporary showcase for the RNLI? If so, Charlotte Higson, RNLI Sales Company Head of Retail, would like to hear from you. You need to be willing and able to arrange suitable premises for free and run them for a few weeks prior to Christmas. The RNLI would put you in touch with other volunteers and supply stock. Mrs Hodge has shown the way with her Christmas RNLI shop in Edinburgh - if you are interested in doing something similar, please contact Charlotte on 01202 663082 for more details..