A nursery which created an iconic rose for the RNLI's 200th anniversary planted four young bushes in a Norfolk seaside town.
Peter Beales Roses from Attleborough, near Norwich, bred With Courage to celebrate two centuries of saving lives at sea.
The specially-cultivated variety, which took three years to perfect, wowed crowds at the Chelsea Flower Show back in May, where it featured in a dazzling Gold Medal-winning display including a D class lifeboat.
Since then thousands of plants have been sold, with 20pc of the proceeds donated to the RNLI, while hundreds more have been planted at RNLI bases including the charity's Support Centre at Poole and the National Arboretum in Staffordshire.
On 22 October, Peter Beales' nursery manager Ian Limmer planted four of the highly-acclaimed bushes in an area of the Esplanade Gardens at Hunstanton, which is dedicated to the RNLI.
'You should be able to see them by mid-June,' he said, as he firmed in the final plant. 'You've got some nice soil here.'
Ian presented a cheque for more than £16,000 to Sara Wilcox, the RNLI's fundraising and partnership lead for the North and East, with crew members standing by.
'We're planning to continue,' he said. 'Hopefully there'll be a similar-sized cheque next year.'
Sara said: 'Partnerships like this are so important to us but what stood out about this one was the teamwork.
'We were all one crew, to get a boat to the Chelsea Flower Show was quite a challenge but we did it.'
Celebrities including Joanna Lumley, Amanda Holden and Anthea Turner all gave the rose the thumbs-up at Chelsea back in May.
The display earned a coveted Gold Award from the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society - the 29th Peter Beales has earned at the show.
Ian also presented a rose to David and Melanie Hockey, from Hinkley in Leicestershire, who own a holiday lodge at Searles Leisure Resort in Hunstanton.
The couple, who are celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary, won the bush in an RNLI raffle at the resort.
Ian's grandfather James Bishop served for 30 years at Sheringham Lifeboat Station, around the coast from Hunstanton, before he retired in the late 1960s.
'It said on his plaque he helped save 167 lives,' said Ian. 'He went out on all the boats they've got at the museum in Sheringham.'
Editor's notes
This year marks the 200th anniversary of both the RNLI and the founding of a lifeboat service at Hunstanton.
Its volunteers operate both the inshore lifeboat Spirit of West Norfolk and search and rescue hovercraft
Hunstanton Flyer.
They cover The Wash, a tidal estuary stretching for more than 100 square miles fed by five main rivers, along with parts of the north Norfolk coastline.
Like more than 200 RNLI stations around the coast of the UK and Ireland, the crew's lifesaving work could not be possible without the kindness of those who give donations or leave legacies to the charity that saves lives at sea.
Sold out for 2024 delivery due to popular demand, 'RNLI 200th With Courage' can now be pre-ordered as a bare root from Peter Beales for delivery in November, 2025.
RNLI media contacts
For more information call Chris Bishop, Hunstanton RNLI volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer on 07584 147219, Clare Hopps, RNLI Regional Communications Manager, North and East on 07824 518641, or the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
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
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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.