North Berwick RNLI volunteers launch renovated shop

The three week long renovation which a partition wall come down and a complete redesign of the shop floor which has invigorated the space.

Jill Sim, Volunteer Shop Manager said; “The old shop was just a wee bit cosy, though we certainly made the best of it. With more space now visitors will be able to spend more time browsing the different ranges of gifts and not feel chased out when more visitors pop in.”

“The new design showcases some of our volunteers in photos and a video screen shows a crew eye view of North Berwick’s rescues, allowing customers to see how the money raised from their shopping helps saves lives.”

“The improvements extend outside the shop so instead of cluttering up the pavement, our best selling extendable nets, buckets and spades are mounted on the wall, out of the way.”

Sir Hew Dalrymple, Honorary President of North Berwick RNLI said: “It’s my pleasure to open the North Berwick Lifeboat Shop. The shop volunteers are perhaps the unsung heroes of the RNLI, putting a fantastic effort in throughout the year to raise vital funds, and it’s great to see how the community, and visitors support our shop with great enthusiasm.”

“I’m told the volunteers are impressed by the new lighting and displays, which certainly show off the high quality gifts on offer, but I imagine they’ll be most grateful for the new heating system in these colder months before summer!”

Innovative storage solutions mean there is more room inside for shoppers to browse with buggies or wheelchairs and items on sale can be better displayed, sitting alongside other items by the same designer or by theme.

Two years in the planning, the renovations went smoothly until the day before opening when vital fittings for displaying some adventure safety items were missing. The team would like to thank Turnbull’s Home Hardware for lending some of their fittings for the opening.

Volunteers will staff the shop everyday from 11am-3pm until the clocks change when opening will be extended from 10am-5pm.

Notes to editors

• In 2023 RNLI lifeboats from 238 stations across the UK and RoI launched 9,192 times saving 355 lives, RNLI Lifeguards saved a further 151 lives, North Berwick launched 21 times.
• It cost £1,400 a year to train each crew member in the lifesaving skills they need to answer the call for help
• 97% of the RNLI’s frontline lifesavers are volunteers including over 5,700 lifeboat crew members.
• In 2022 it cost the RNLI £188M to run it’s charitable lifesaving service, 6 in 10 of the lifeboat launches were funded be generous supporters leaving the RNLI a gift in their will.

RNLI media contacts

Matthew Gibbons, Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer, North Berwick, [email protected]
Natasha Bennett, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]
Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]
24 hour RNLI Central Press Office, 01202 336789 or email [email protected]

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, X, 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.