Kelsey Grammer pops in to support Portishead RNLI volunteers
Last week Kelsey Grammer and his wife Kayte fulfilled their promise to auction winners Tim and Beth (Howes) who won the bid to have wine and tapas with the TV and film star from Frasier, Toy Story and Simpsons.
Hosted by Venga of Portishead, the four guests enjoyed fine wine and tapas for two hours as part of the Grand Ball Auction prize, which was held in 2014. Although Tim and Beth waited for over 18months they were still keen to meet the high profile celebrity when he was able to visit Portishead.
Once Kelsey’s schedule finally allowed him to visit the UK both he and his wife Kayte got in touch with the volunteers at RNLI Portishead to say they were coming.
Nick Williams, one of the crew volunteers who helped to organise the prize said: ‘After receiving the phone call that Kelsey and Kayte were coming, it was a big rush to make sure that everyone was here to finally pull this all together. Mike and Chris from Venga had just got back from their holiday so everything just fell in to place. We are very grateful to Kelsey, Kayte and their family for helping us with this auction prize opportunity.’
Tim said: 'As a long time fan of Frasier, it was great to meet Kelsey and his wife Kayte. They were fantastic company and so easy to talk to. The time flew by and Beth and I are still in shock that we actually got to meet them. We always support the lifeboat with their Grand Ball and we never would have thought this sort of prize would be up for auction!’
Mike and Chris who hosted the evening in their Portishead restaurant said: 'We had a great evening with good company. The lifeboat in Portishead is much loved and supported by the local community and we are glad to be a small part of that support.’
The Grand Ball is an event that comes around every other year and Tim and Beth are regular guests. The auction lot was added to the event prizes at the last minute in 2014 and helped the volunteers raise just over £15,000 in total on the night.
There is another Grand Ball this year, 12th November at the wonderful Doubletree by Hilton, Cadbury House, but you have to be quick as there are just a couple of tickets left if you want to come and win what could be your once in a lifetime prize! Just contact Helen via email [email protected] for more details.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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