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Whalsay School pupils raise funds and study to celebrate the RNLI’s 200th year

Lifeboats News Release

Pupils from the school on the island of Whalsay, known for its strong fishing community, have raised almost £3000 for the RNLI.

Primary 3/4 pupils from Whalsay School present a cheque for £1000 to Mechanic Paul Hutchison (front left) and John Angus (front right) of RNLI Lerwick, and Rhoda Watt (left) and Linda Simpson (right) of Lerwick Lifeboat Fundraising Crew.

RNLI Lerwick

Primary 3/4 pupils from Whalsay School present a cheque for £1000 to Mechanic Paul Hutchison (front left) and John Angus (front right) of RNLI Lerwick, and Rhoda Watt (left) and Linda Simpson (right) of Lerwick Lifeboat Fundraising Crew.
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Pupils wrote letters to Whalsay skippers asking for donations of haddock and other

essentials for a Fish & Chip Fundraiser, organised with the help of staff and parents.

The event which took place on Friday 27th September was well attended by the local
community, raising £2740 which will be split between the two local RNLI lifeboat

stations in Aith and Lerwick, and the RNLI nationally.

Pupils at the school, with around 165 pupils across nursery, primary and secondary

classes, have spent this term studying the work of the RNLI.

Secondary pupils studied a range of topics include changing lifeboat technology, station
locations across the UK and Ireland, and local station history including notable rescues,

shipwrecks and medals awarded to lifeboat crews.

Younger pupils have studied water safety, beach lifeguards, lifeboats and their crews,
and the history of the RNLI, including its early years from the story of Grace Darling to

the role of lifeboats in the rescue of troops from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940.

Their studies generated a fantastic collection of lifeboat-related poetry, stories and

artwork which was displayed in the school as an ‘exhibition of learning’.

Two members of the Lerwick Lifeboat Fundraising Crew, Linda Hannah and Hazel
Anderson, also recently attended the school to promote the work of the RNLI and sell

some RNLI items from the shop in Lerwick.

While they were on a visit to the town yesterday, Primary 3/4 pupils from Whalsay

School presented a £1000 cheque to RNLI Lerwick.

Paul Hutchison, full-time mechanic at RNLI Lerwick said: “It was a pleasure to meet
some of the pupils and staff from Whalsay yesterday and thank them for their very
generous donation, which will help us save lives at sea. They have put in an incredible
amount of work this term, learning more about the work and history of the RNLI in our
special 200th year. On behalf of all our crew, we'd like to thank everyone at Whalsay

School and in the Whalsay community for their support.”

Read more about the pupils’ learning and see their artwork at the Whalsay School Blog
 

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, TikTok 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.

About the author

Bob Kerr
Lifeboat Press Officer, Lerwick Lifeboat Station

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