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Dunbar RNLI in eleven heaven after fete fundraiser

Lifeboats News Release

Dunbar RNLI’s annual Lifeboat Fete last week (Saturday 15 July) raised an incredible £11,000 for the charity that saves lives at sea.

A photo of Dunbar Harbour showing the stage and inshore lifeboat on display.

RNLI/Douglas Wight

Dunbar Lifeboat Fete, Saturday 15 July

Crowds of people lined the High Street to watch the parade and then flocked to the harbour to see Emily Hodd crowned Lifeboat Queen before a host of acts – including our very own Strictly for the Lifeboat dancers – kept everyone entertained.

Supporters got the chance to meet our volunteer lifeboat crew, climb aboard our all-weather lifeboat (ALB) John Neville Taylor and see close up our inshore lifeboat (ILB) David Lauder.

Guests of honour were Sheon Cairns and Moira Porter, who last year stepped down from their roles on the fundraising committee after 26 and 25 years respectively, while David Kittrick was presented with an award after recently retiring as a launch authority.

As a charity that is independent of the government, the RNLI relies on donations from the public to carry out its lifesaving work and Dunbar’s annual fete is the station’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

Dunbar RNLI Lifeboat Management Group chair Mark Lees said: ‘We had another great day at the station where we managed to thank the community of Dunbar for all their fantastic support over the year.

‘It’s always great to see how many people turn up to support the station and I know that our coxswain Gary Fairbairn, the crew, the fundraising team and all the shop staff really appreciate it. We couldn’t run the station without the community and we are always humbled by the response, year after year.

‘I’d also like to thank the whole team at Dunbar Lifeboat Station for all the effort they put into the event. It takes the whole team, along with some other ever reliable supporters to put it on and they always manage to deliver a really fantastic community day out.’

Fundraising committee chair Veronica Davies said: ‘Thanks to everyone who supported Dunbar RNLI in any way to enable our annual Lifeboat Fete to be such a huge success.

‘To all of the people who donated money and prizes, the harbour residents for allowing the obvious disruption, everyone who gave up their time to erect, man and dismantle stalls and, last but not least, the Dunbar community and beyond who attended the fete, stayed with us through the showers and helped us to raise funds to enable Dunbar RNLI to continue their lifesaving work.

Notes to editors:

Dunbar RNLI's annual fete is the lifeboat station's biggest fundraiser of the year and has seen a 'Lifeboat Queen' crowned every year since 1963. Since 1808, Dunbar has provided volunteer crews to save lives at sea.

RNLI media contacts

Douglas Wight, Dunbar RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, [email protected]

Natasha Bennett, RNLI Regional Media Officer for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]

Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Media Manager for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]

RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789

RNLI online

For more information on the RNLI please visit rnli.org. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre rnli.org/news-and-media.

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 over 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 142,200 lives.

Our photo shows (L-R) Moira Porter, Murdo Ross, page boy, fundraising chair Veronica Davies, flower girl Zara Anderson, attendant Mirren Ross, Lifeboat Queen Emily Hodd, attendant Erin Forrester, Sheon Cairns, herald Lochlan Forrester, Mark Lees, LMG chair.

RNLI/Douglas Wight

(L-R) Moira Porter, Murdo Ross, page boy, fundraising chair Veronica Davies, flower girl Zara Anderson, attendant Mirren Ross, Lifeboat Queen Emily Hodd, attendant Erin Forrester, Sheon Cairns, herald Lochlan Forrester, Mark Lees, LMG chair.

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.

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