Singing to help save lives at sea at Margate

The grand three-choir concert was held at Margate’s Winter Gardens and involved members of: Thanet Male Voice Choir, Kent Police Male Voice Choir and Snowdown Colliery Male Voice Choir performing their own kind of music culminating in the choirs combining to form a massed choir of over 100 voices.

Those present experienced what was described as “a truly spectacular evening enjoyed by all”, the audience’s appreciation demonstrated by their applause and generosity. That generosity resulted in an impressive £1,700 being raised for the charity’s funds, the sum topped up by a further £397 collected in buckets on the evening by members of Margate’s RNLI lifeboat crew and fund-raising branch members.

The occasion of the station’s annual Coffee and Mince Pie Morning yesterday (Sunday 28 October) was chosen for representatives of the three choirs to present the cheque for £1,700 to the station’s fund-raising branch.

Paul Hodson, Lifeboat Operations Manager, Margate Lifeboat Station said: “The concert was an entertaining and enjoyable evening from three very talented choirs with the added bonus of raising an incredible amount of money for the station. It is heart-warming to know the local community support us in this way and the money raised will go directly towards our work of saving lives at sea, we thank all those involved and for thinking of us.”

Photo (1): Peter Waller, Chairman Margate RNLI fund-raising branch and Brian Ellner, branch Treasurer (extreme left and right respectively) receive the cheque from representatives of the three choirs. (Andy Brown)

Photo (2): Group photo including members of Margate RNLI lifeboat crew. (RNLI Margate)

ENDS

RNLI Media contacts

• Peter Barker, RNLI Margate Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer 07974 064304 [email protected]

• Paul Dunt, Regional Media Officer (South East), 0207 6207426, 07785 296252 [email protected]

• For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789

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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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