Bradford isn’t necessarily the first place that springs to mind when you think about RNLI fundraising volunteers but this land-locked community has been helping to save lives at sea for over 150 years.

RNLI Bradford and Baildon Fundraising Branch can trace its roots back to 1859, following a shipping tragedy off north Wales.

The Royal Charter, packed with passengers bound for Liverpool and wool destined for the mills of Bradford, hit a horrendous storm and was smashed to pieces off Anglesey, with the loss of over 450 lives. Bradford mill owners decided to form a fundraising branch to raise £460 for a new RNLI lifeboat. Since then it has helped to fund another 10 lifesaving craft.

Today, its branch volunteers give presentations about the RNLI’s work too and help educate youngsters with beach safety messages. They’ve also got the UK’s second largest building society on their side.

The Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) kick-started its Come Rain or Shine campaign from the grounds of its Bradford headquarters in January 2012. Thanks to employees and members, customer support, and a big contribution from its Charitable Foundation, YBS raised an astounding £200,000 for the RNLI throughout the year.

It also extended this support by making the RNLI its Charity of the Year in 2013. Its branches throughout the UK will be holding fundraising activities and selling RNLI items in-store. And like many RNLI branches, they will not only be raising funds, but distributing coastal safety advice too.

The building society’s Chief Executive, Chris Pilling, said: 'The service the RNLI provides at sea and inland is truly invaluable so I am proud that we are able to show our support.' Chris is more than happy to take a soaking in the name of fundraising too. Presumably, no one was brave enough to inflict this on the volunteer ladies of 1913!