Lytham St Annes lifeboat crew rally round to answer church foodbank appeal

During the parish notices read out after the annual lifeboat service at St John the Divine Church, in Lytham, preacher Joanne Hutchinson mentioned to the parishioners that any donations to the church foodbank would be gratefully received.

Although not directed at the lifeboat crew who were present at the service, with Christmas fast approaching, their thoughts turned to helping others in that way.

A few days later, the lifeboat station’s deputy launching authority Laurence Foster placed on the crews’ private web channel a notice that he had some spare ironmongery if anyone needed it. The cost? A donation to the St John’s foodbank.

Several crew members replied to say they didn’t need the ironmongery but were keen to offer a donation to the foodbank anyway.

That response rapidly escalated until a special table was set up in the station’s All-weather Lifeboat House in St Annes to receive all the items donated by the crew and before long it was packed with items.

On the next lifeboat exercise night, Joanne was welcomed to the boathouse by branch chairman Richard Freeman and presented with the table full of items.

After the presentation, Joanne was given a quick tour of the boathouse before the lifeboat headed out in the freezing darkness on its regular exercise.

"All the items were gratefully received, particularly as the extreme cold weather arrived,” said Joanne.

A lifeboat station spokesman said: “We were delighted to be able to help.”