West Bridgford

YOUNG FUNDRAISER RECOGNISED

Fourteen-year-old Luke Jenkins has been helping to save lives at sea for most of his life. As a baby,
his mother Aisling carried him in a sling on an annual house-to-house collection with his father Peter and sister Alicia. And as he got older he stuck with it, collecting more than £1,000 through the years.
Aisling says: ‘Each year we went to the same houses, and I think the occupants were genuinely pleased to see us, but particularly Luke.’ Luke, who has Downs Syndrome, describes the collection as: ‘a good
thing as the crew are very brave.’ In December, Luke’s commitment to lifesaving was recognised with the presentation of a Framed Certificate of Thanks in front of his community. Chair of South Bucks and Thames Branch Michael Prager says: ‘Now that house-to-house collections have been discontinued, it is an appropriate time to recognise an extraordinary service by this young man. He has looked beyond his
own challenges and raised funds to help the RNLI continue to save lives at sea. We are all very proud and inspired by Luke.’ 

Portishead

BARNACLE BUOYS RAISE THE ROOF

Portishead Lifeboat Station hosted a night of soulful sea shanties with local performers the Barnacle Buoys, raising more than £800 to help save lives at sea. Raise the Roof for the RNLI was a free event held inside the boathouse, with the station’s inshore lifeboat My Lady Anne on display at the top of the launch ramp. The venue was packed to the rafters and more than one passer-by stopped to enjoy the music drifting out through the doors. Lifeboat Operations Manager Dave Slack says: ‘A great night for our community. We cannot thank the Barnacle Buoys enough for their time and valuable support. We look forward to having them back, when they can squeeze us in to their busy schedule!’

Tower

LIFELINES ON THE THAMES

Tower Lifeboat Station volunteer Helm and Community Safety Officer Keith Cima is seeing success from a public rescue project. Each year, 30–35 people lose their lives to the tidal Thames.
The project aims to ensure that public rescue equipment (PRE) is adequate, signage is installed and community responders are trained. At around 2am on a cold autumn night, Tower lifeboat was requested to launch to a person in the water near Temple Pier. Keith reports: ‘We picked up a 19-yearold man clinging to a lifebuoy, distressed and exhausted. The tide was flooding and the lad was nearly going under. ‘The first informant was a homeless man on the embankment. This is where the
City of London has installed new lifebuoy boxes signed with the “call 999 and ask for the Coastguard”
message. He called 999 and then he threw a lifebuoy. Without this bystander’s quick thinking and the available PRE, the young man may have drowned. ‘Progress can be slow, as many local issues compete for focus. But, as a result of this rescue, I requested an additional lifebuoy in a key location and it was installed within a week! What this tells me is that signage works – and we have
to persevere.'

Teignmouth

CHORDETTES IN CONCERT

Last autumn the Chordettes, a women’s barbershop group, and supporting acts put on a show at the Teignmouth Pavilion, Devon. Tickets sold out several weeks before the performance and the pavilion was packed with concertgoers, who enjoyed songs like Eva Cassidy’s Songbird and West End classic Do You Hear the People Sing from Les Misérables. With matched funding by Barclays, the event raised more than £1,500.

What's On

Details might have changed since going to print, so please check in advance to avoid disappointment. To find out what else is
on near you, see RNLI.org/events.
WINSCOMBE FOLK NIGHT
Saturday 14 April, 7.30pm
St James’ Church Hall, Woodborough Road
Folk music by Scottish artist Ewan McLennan in aid of the RNLI. For more information contact
James Barattini on [email protected].
COWES YELLOW WELLY DAY
Saturday 5 May, 11am–4pm
Cowes Lifeboat Station, Watchhouse Lane
Meet lifeboat crew members and other emergency service lifesavers, with a station tour, live music and activities for children. Free entry. More details at cowes-lifeboat.org.uk.
FARNSFIELD MAYDAY
Monday 7 May, 10am–5pm
Old school field, Farnsfield
Farnsfield Guild are taking part in the village scarecrow display this year for Mayday. Main activity with souvenir stall on the old school field; the guild scarecrow will be displayed from a house on the main road through Farnsfield.
ST AGNES 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Saturday 23 June, from 7pm
Trevaunance Beach, Cornwall
Celebrate St Agnes’s 50th anniversary with music, food and drinks on the beach. Contact Paul on [email protected].
LIFEBOAT RALLY
Saturday 30 June, 11am–4pm
Berrills Yard Pontoon, Fowey
The annual rally of former lifeboats sees around 10 vessels on display, all open to the public.

Send details of your events for the summer issue (mid-July onwards) to [email protected].