Flag weekend raises thousands for Whitby RNLI.

Senior station technician Richard Dowson said: 'we still have little bits coming in to add to the total but we are blown away at raising over £13,000. Last year we did just under £11,000 and we've smashed that this year.

I need to say a big thank you to our volunteer crew who alongside carrying a pager and being on call 24/7 have given up their weekend to set up stalls, sell cakes, shake buckets and take part in the lifeboat demonstration. Then there's our families who support us all year round and always get stuck in over the weekend.

A big thank you to our Friends of Whitby Lifeboat who work so hard and always have a smile on their faces.

We are also very grateful to the Subaru and Lotus clubs who provide a great attraction on the pier during the weekend and contributed hundreds of pounds to our fundraising effort.

Lastly a special mention to DJ, David Johnson, our station treasurer who had the mammoth task of counting all the donations and does a fantastic job.'

Barry Brown station manager at Whitby Lifeboat Station said: 'What a fantastic weekend, we are very grateful to the public who generously donate and allow us to keep saving lives at sea,'

If you took part in the Grand Summer Raffle winners have now been notified and there is a list on our Facebook page of prizes and winners.

Next year's Flag Weekend will take place on Saturday 31 July and Sunday 1 August.

VIDEO: Watch our footage of the demonstration which shows a training mon overboard exercise with our training mannequin 'Ruth'.

RNLI Media Contacts

For further information, please contact:

Ceri Oakes, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for Whitby RNLI, [email protected]

Clare Hopps, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for North East and East England, 07824 518641, [email protected]

Richard Grange, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for North East and East England, 07483 112015, [email protected]

RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789, [email protected]

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.