Lytham St Annes RNLI volunteers delighted with response to long traditional Lifeboat Saturday fund-raiser
Lifeboat Saturday fund-raiser dates back to late Victorian times
Lytham St Annes RNLI volunteers took to the streets to raise awareness and funds in a tradition that goes back 135 years.
In October 1891, the original Lifeboat Saturday was organised in Manchester and Salford by the then St Annes RNLI Lifeboat Station Branch Chairman Charles Macara to raise funds to help save lives at sea in memory of those lost in the Mexico disaster off the Fylde coast.
The Lifeboat Saturday idea quickly spread around the country with other charities following up by organising their own street collections.
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The present volunteer crew and One Crew supporters turned out in Lytham Square in the morning followed by St Annes Square in the afternoon to answer questions from the public and gratefully accept donations.
The station’s Inshore Lifeboat MOAM was taken to the locations with her crew kitted out and ready to go straight to sea if an emergency situation had occurred during the day. Fortunately that did not happen.
A new addition to the annual fund-raising effort this year was a draw for children to win an RNLI Teddy Bear which proved very popular.
The money collected is still being counted but a Lytham St Annes RNLI spokesperson said: “On a beautiful autumn day, the volunteers were very happy with the outcome. Thanks to their efforts”.