Over £1000 raised for RNLI Hoylake Lifeboat Station in Boxing Day Tug O’War

The friendly competition was established in 1972 by Arthur Slater of Hoylake Sailing Club and then RNLI Coxswain Danny Triggs. This year the RNLI crew won the day and were congratulated by the Sailing Club team, who look forward to next year’s tournament in 364 days!

Since the tradition began, hundreds of onlookers have gathered outside the Sailing Club to watch the two teams battle it out in the sand for the coveted Slater Trophy; a small teapot which bears the name of the winning team stretching back 45 years.

This humble trophy started life in the boardroom of Cammell Laird shipbuilders during the 1960s when the Polaris programme’s Resolution-class nuclear submarines were under construction in Birkenhead. It was thrown out, dented and dull, into a McDermott’s sprout box which found its way to Hoylake.

After the inaugural Tug O’War tournament in 1972, the teapot was discovered, polished and engraved with the name of the first winning team - the Lifeboats. So began over 4 decades of friendly competition, often celebrated with a festive toast to the participants!

RNLI Coxswain Andy Dodd said: “It’s great to see what started out as a bit of fun has become a meaningful event in the community’s calendar. A tug of war is such a simple thing, but it’s so entertaining. I can barely remember a Boxing Day without it and it gets bigger and better every year!”

RNLI volunteers collected donations from onlookers on the promenade who had come out to show their support for both teams in the Tug O’War. A total of £1104 was raised which is a record for the event. RNLI Hoylake Lifeboat Station would like to thank the local community for their generous support.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution relies on charitable donations and support from their local communities. During the holiday season, volunteer crew remain on call 24 hours a day ready to fulfil search and rescue operations and save lives at sea.

Notes to editors

Hoylake lifeboat station has been operating since 1803. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/hoylake-lifeboat-station

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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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