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Staithes and Runswick RNLI lifeboat weekend raises over £10,000

Lifeboats News Release

Staithes and Runswick RNLI’s lifeboat weekend was a great success with a multitude of visitors joining the weekend festivities raising £10,365 which will enable the volunteers to continue to save lives at sea.

RNLI/James Stoker

14-14 George and Mary Webb, Whitby's Trent Class lifeboat with Staithes and Runswick's B Class lifeboat B-897 Sheila and Dennis Tongue III during a demonstration rescue as part of lifeboat weekend.

The money raised during lifeboat weekend will train and equip the station's volunteer crew so they can continue to answer the call for help at sea.

The village festivities started on Friday night at around 7.00pm. Nightgowns donned for the annual Nightgown Parade; the volunteer lifeboat crew, villagers, and visitors assembled on the Staith. Then with a jazz band, tunefully ambled through the village from the Staith up the High Street to the top of the village. With both crew, friends and family and visitors collecting funds along the way - raising £330 from the parade alone.

On Saturday a group of volunteers assembled in Runswick Bay for the arrival of the Staithes and Runswick Lifeboat Sheila and Dennis Tongue III.


A stall including a raffle was set up and staffed by local volunteers all keen to support the charity. Tides Beach and Coffee Shop also kindly donated the proceeds of coffee sales during the morning to Staithes and Runswick RNLI lifeboat, raising £305.

In Staithes the event opened on Saturday afternoon, stalls lined the Staith and entries for the famous duck race the following day were sold. Whitby RNLI's Trent Class lifeboat (14-14 George and Mary Webb) came to what will be its last lifeboat weekend visit, having been replaced by a Shannon Class lifeboat this year. A demonstration rescue of a paddle boarder took place outside of the harbour.

Later on Saturday afternoon was the fiercely contested raft race, with competitors on rafts they’d made, assembling on the lifeboat slip for the start of the race. They got underway at 4.30pm, an assembly of interesting and creative rafts were seen. The winners were three lads and a ladder, creatively put together using buoys, rope and a stepladder.

The festivities continued through Saturday afternoon, leading to a harbour side concert by Middlesbrough Jazz and Blues Orchestra and a fantastic fireworks display by G2 Fireworks.

The duck race on Sunday saw a mad dash for the finish line, with duck number five winning, and ducks 25 and 372 coming in second and third. All the way from the bridge over the beck, along to the lifeboat boathouse, and up Cowbar bank was jam-packed with people, all cheering their yellow ducks on with a hope theirs would win the race. Crew members equally had a race after the finish line to gather the ducks and stop them continuing the race out to sea!

Two moving services, with music from North Skelton Brass Band, took place at both Runswick Bay and Staithes, closing this year’s event.

Colin Harrison lifeboat weekend coordinator said: ‘The sun shone on Saturday and Sunday and a village full of people enjoyed our lifeboat weekend.

‘We would like to thank them for supporting our charity and also to thank all those volunteers who joined us to help make the day possible.’

Notes to Editors

Staithes and Runswick RNLI lifeboat has been in operation since 1978 with Atlantic B-Class inshore lifeboats (ILB’s). The present ILB at the station B-897 Sheila and Dennis Tongue III has been on station since 2016.

Staithes and Runswick’s 2024 lifeboat weekend will take place over the weekend of 16 - 18 August 2024.

RNLI Media Contacts

For more information please contact James Stoker, RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer at: [email protected] or Clare Hopps, Regional Media Officer on 07824 518641 or, [email protected] or contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.

RNLI/James Stoker

A fantastic firework display by the G2 Fireworks team drew Saturday's festivities to a close

RNLI/Lee Jackson

Crew ready for the Nightgown Parade, raising £330 on Friday evening.

RNLI/James Stoker

Two Staithes and Runswick RNLI volunteer crew ashore at Runswick Bay.

RNLI/James Stoker

"Three Lads and a Ladder" win the 2023 raft race.

RNLI/James Stoker

Duck number five takes the lead in the 2023 duck race.

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.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.