In October, the Largs Lifeboat Fundraising Branch welcomed outgoing RNLI Chair, Charles Hunter-Pease, to speak at their annual lunch where he was presented with a special cake decorated with a model of the Largs lifeboat to mark his retirement. But there was to be one more surprise. In his after-lunch speech, the Chair paid tribute to the volunteers and supporters at Largs, saying that the leadership had been ‘exemplary and second to none’. Cathy Holgate, Branch Chair for 11 years, was then presented with a certificate acknowledging her invaluable service. ‘I knew nothing about the award, which was a complete surprise,’ Cathy said. ‘I was very proud to receive it. You could say it was the icing on the cake!’