Carol Concert

The carol concert this year took place on Sunday 13^th December at Saint Pauls church. The Tendring Sax Ensemble were joined by the choir from Burrsville Infant School to bring a mix of seasonal songs and carols.

Our thanks go to everyone who took part, - the children were wonderful – helping us to raise £400.00 to help save lives at sea.

Press Officer Mel Winger 28/12/2009

Members of the Clacton-on-Sea branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution went along to Holly Court in Old Road to wish the residents a Happy Christmas.

They have been supporting the lifeboat for some time with raffles and table top sales and in the summer took their total past the two-thousand pound mark.

Crewmen Alan, Ray and Ty were on hand to demonstrate their sea-going kit and show how the money was spent in helping save lives at sea.

Branch fundraising chairman, David Snell, presented them with a picture of the stations lifeboats and a certificate of thanks for all their efforts.

Press Officer Mel Winger 23/12/2009

Members of the Clacton lifeboat crew were alerted after the boathouse alarm system was triggered early one evening.

They arrived during a heavy rain storm to find water coming through the ceiling of the shop and dripping onto the display stands. They managed to move everything to one side and get buckets under the drips but it was too late to save some of the stock.

Next morning builders were on site to investigate the problem which was thought to have been caused by the recent gales.

RNLI Sales manager for the Eastern Region, James Thompson, said, “Thank goodness the water set the alarm off before too much damage was done. The crew did a magnificent job and thanks to them and the shop staff it was business as usual the next day”.

The photo shows James helping with the clean-up.

Monday 30^th November saw David Jiggins of Frinton Road, Holland-on-Sea switch on his Christmas light show in aid of the RNLI, live on the radio!

Sadie Nine of BBC Essex was on hand to describe the display to the listeners with the help of some of David’s neighbours.

This years show is bigger than ever, and David and his partner Pauline hope to raise a good amount to help save lives at sea.

The picture shows David (L) and Pauline (R) with Sadie and crew member Alan Thompson.

Sunday 6^th December saw Santa make his annual visit to the Clacton lifeboat.

 He came ashore in the Atlantic 75 to be greeted by a crowd of enthusiastic youngsters. He spent over an hour in his grotto where he met more than fifty children and gave each one a small gift. Then he was on his way with a cheery wave and a promise to see everyone next year.

Press Officer Mel Winger 18/1/2009

Lifeboat Carol Concert

 Sunday December 13^th 2009 is the date of this years lifeboat carol concert. The Tendring Sax Ensemble and the Burrsville Infants School present a mix of Christmas songs and carols at St Pauls church, St Pauls Road, Clacton-on-Sea.

The concert starts at 2.30pm and tickets are £3 for adults, children are free. Tea or coffee and a mince pie are included and tickets are available from the lifeboat shop in Hastings Avenue.

For more information call David on 01255 851818

Press Officer Mel Winger 26/11/2009

York St John University Shark Thomas Richardson taking the plunge at the RNLI’s Dracula Drop Bungee Jump in Whitby. Credit RNLI.

A group of York Sharks who took the ultimate plunge for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) have given the charity a £500 boost.

Five students from the York St John University Swimming Club – otherwise known as the Sharks – took part in the RNLI’s Dracula Drop bungee jump in Whitby earlier this year and have been fundraising for the charity ever since.

Today (Wednesday 18 November) they presented a cheque for £519 to RNLI Senior Fundraising Manager, North, Val Nixon, at the Fountain's Learning Centre, Clarence Street, York.

Sharks’ Charity Officer, Jessica Shepard, wanted to raise funds for the RNLI because her step-father, along with a few close friends, are RNLI volunteer crew members at the Clacton-on-Sea lifeboat station and she values the lifesaving role they carry out.

Jessica said: ‘The RNLI does an amazing job and we’re pleased to have been able to support the charity in this way. We had a fantastic time taking part in the bungee jump and didn't realise how much fun fundraising could be. It’s been so much fun, in fact, that we’ve decided to continue to support the RNLI throughout the current academic year.’

The RNLI’s Val Nixon said she was extremely grateful to the Sharks for their donation, adding: ‘The RNLI receives no Government support and relies on donations from the public so without generous support like this, our volunteer lifeboatmen and women would be unable to carry on saving lives at sea.’

Father Christmas to visit Lifeboat

On Sunday 6^th December Father Christmas will be paying his annual visit to the Clacton-on-Sea lifeboat.

He will arrive in the Atlantic 75 at 11am and land on Martello beach. He will be in the boathouse until about 1230pm where he hopes to see lots of youngsters and a few oldies too!

The gift shop will be open and this year we will have our own calendars on sale in the boathouse.

Press Officer Mel Winger 16/11/2009

Yachts woman Hilary Lister

Disabled yachtswoman Hilary Lister made a brief visit to Harwich on her solo round Britain voyage. Graham Crame was lucky enough to meet her and later took Albert Edward along to look at her yacht moored at the quay.

Hilary completed her amazing adventure, becoming the first disabled woman to sail solo around the mainland.

Coffee Morning

The coffee morning held at St Bartholomews church, Holland-on-Sea, raised a total of £343 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

 A steady stream of visitors braved the damp weather and all the stalls reported good sales.

Many thanks to everyone who took part to help keep the lifeboats afloat.

Press Officer Mel Winger 25/10/2009

Lifeboat mascot Albert Edward has been up to the Arctic Circle on the MV Discovery. He visited Murmansk in July as part of the voyage to remember the seamen who lost their lives on the Arctic convoys during World War II.

His companion on the trip was Anna Rendell-Knights from Harwich. Also on board was David Barby the antiques expert from such programs as Flog-It and Bargain Hunt. David was only too pleased to pose for a photo for Albert’s scrap book.

Press Officer Mel Winger 21/10/2009

Press Officer Mel Winger 05/10/2009

Clacton-on-Sea’s new D class lifeboat named 

The sun shone brightly as two hundred quests and officials of the RNLI gathered at the boathouse to join in the naming ceremony and service of dedication for the new D class lifeboat.

Named Damarkand IV the boat is a gift to the institution from David and Marion Snell. David is a local businessman and along with Marion has been a member of the Clacton RNLI branch for many years.

The family have owned three narrow boats all called Damarkand, derived from their names and their children Kathryn and Andrew.

The new boat arrived in June and has already been called out twenty times.

Granddaughters Emma, Nicola and Rebecca were on hand with the champagne as the boat was officially named.

“Albert Edward” joins the Clacton crew

The volunteers at Clacton-on-Sea lifeboat station have gained a new member. He was a present to shop manager Graham Crame while on a visit to Kosovo.

Graham is a volunteer with the charity Hope and Aid Direct and it was on a recent trip that his colleagues gave him the knitted lifeboatman.

“They knew of my connection with the RNLI, and thought his adventures might help raise funds” said Graham. “We named him Albert Edward after the first lifeboat stationed at Clacton”

We haven’t been able to establish how he arrived in Kosovo, but have been tracking his movements since. He returned overland from Pristina to Harwich a distance of 2257 kilometres and nine countries. He was soon of again this time on a memorial voyage from Harwich to Mumansk to remember the thousands of seaman who lost their lives in the Russian convoys of World War II.

On his return he joined Graham’s son Nathan on the RNLI’s fundraising abseil at Southwold lighthouse.

Where will he be off to next? If you would like to have him as a companion on an unusual journey, please get in touch, We ask for a donation of £25 and a picture of him on his adventures.

The pictures show Albert Edward leaving Kosovo and with Nathan at Southwold.

Press Officer Mel Winger 15/09/2009

Fund Raising Drive

Stevie Mann from Cornwall is driving his mini round the UK visiting all the mainland lifeboat stations. Starting at Lands End on September 1^st the trip is planned to take 41 days, finishing on October 11^th. He is hoping to be at Clacton boathouse on 2^nd October at around 12.30pm.

The aim of the drive is to raise sufficient funds to buy a new lifeboat to be named Mini 1.

Stevie has a website at www.mini-rnli.co.uk

Press Officer Mel Winger 29/07/2009

Coffee Morning

A coffee morning on Saturday 27^th June has raised £380 for the RNLI. Held in one of the Lifeboat Ladies gardens it was blessed with fine weather keeping the various stalls busy, cakes again proving popular! Many thanks to everyone who went along to make it a success.

Press Officer Mel Winger 07/07/2009

Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of the Clacton-on-Sea branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution took place on Tuesday 2^nd of June.

Branch chairman, David Porter, welcomed everyone and introduced Alan Head the RNLI’s Deputy Divisional Inspector for the Eastern Region. He told the meeting that like many other organizations the Institution was facing testing times and was making sure that funds were spent wisely. The inshore boat building and repair facility at Cowes on the Isle of Wight had been revamped, resulting in a much faster turn round, and Clacton’s new “D” class boat should be delivered this month.

The Chairman thanked Alan for taking time out to attend the meeting.

Lifeboat Operations Manager, Rob Smith, said that the boats had been called into action sixty-five times in the last twelve months, making this one of the stations busiest years. A letter of commendation had been received from Michael Vlasto, Head of Operations, for crew members Tim Dye and Tim Sutton for their rescue of an elderly man from the water close to the pier and the administering of first aid until the paramedics arrived. Rob thanked all the crew and his assistants at the station for their dedication and pride in what they do, and maintaining the good spirit which has grown since the move to the new boathouse. He also thanked the branch members for their hard work raising money for the lifeboats and promoting the work of the RNLI.

Before introducing the treasurer, Debbie Holmes, the chairman told the meeting that the Institution had awarded her a silver badge for her work, the thirteenth person at the station to receive an award in the past year.

Debbie said that 2008 had been a hard year and the income was down on 2007. This was only to be expected and the RNLI was not suffering as much as some other organizations. The start of 2009 was looking good and if this continued we should be in for a satisfactory year.

Graham Crame, shop manager, reported that 2008 had been a fairly good year given the bad weather during the summer, and the Clacton shop was 58^th out of the RNLI’s 735 outlets. He thanked the staff for their hard work again this year.

Chairman of Fundraising, David Snell, said a busy year and support from many local businesses and organizations had helped with raising much needed income and he thanked Peter Edwards for his work with the Mobile Display Unit. He also thanked Colin Sargeant for his hard work organizing Lifeboat Week which seems to get longer each year.  We now have 120 collection boxes in various places around the area and he thanked Peter Watson for looking after these.

During the year we have had eleven school visits to the boathouse and twenty-one from other organizations. Our station web-site has had a facelift and thanks were given to Paul Evans who manages the site.

Thanks were sent from the crew to Marion and David Snell who bought a new weather station for the boathouse.

There are now 100 people associated with the lifeboats in Clacton and the Chairman closed the meeting by thanking everyone for their support.

Press Officer Mel Winger 03/06/2009

Members of the Happy Valley Bowls Club at Holland-on-Sea have been fundraising for the Clacton lifeboats. Last season they collected money in a large bottle on the clubs bar and on Saturday 25^th April held a raffle to guess the amount raised - £108, mostly in small change!

Some of the clubs members paid a visit to the lifeboat station on Wednesday evening to see the boats launch on exercise and have a look round the boathouse. One member, Frank Williams, is a cigarette card collector and presented the station with a framed set depicting the history of lifeboats. Club chairman Peter Hayman handed a cheque for £150 to station operations manager Rob Smith who thanked them for their generous support.

Press Officer Mel Winger 01/05/2009

Coffee morning

A coffee morning held by the Clacton Lifeboat Ladies on 21^st of March raised £162 for the RNLI. This was a splendid effort as the event clashed with others in Holland-on-Sea. Well done to everyone who helped.

Press Officer Mel Winger 09/04/2009

The Lions Club of Clacton-on-Sea held its annual presentation evening today. The President, Trevor Grimsey, was delighted to be able to give £6200 to local organizations including guides and scouts. The three main charities supported this year were Help For Heroes and the RNLI lifeboats at Clacton, and Walton and Frinton, each receiving £1500.

The picture shows Lions Presedent, Trevor Grimsey, with Phil Oxley of Walton and Frinton, Marianne West, Essex co-ordinator for Help For Heroes, and Rob Smith, of Clacton.

The help given by the Lions Clubs is much appreciated by all the people they support, and we wish them every success for 2009.

Press Officer Mel Winger 31/01/2009

Lifeboat crew from Clacton-on-Sea lifeboat station are to be honoured on the RNLI’s first memorial. The memorial sculpture, to be unveiled in Autumn 2009 at the RNLI’s Dorset headquarters, will pay tribute to those who gave their lives while helping to save others. The majority of names on the memorial will be RNLI volunteers from the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, but other maritime lifesavers including those from HM Coastguard will also be remembered.

 

 ‘While we proudly remember our local lifesavers here in the community  the new memorial sculpture will be located opposite The Lifeboat College, where future generations of lifesavers and fundraisers will train. This memorial and those it remembers should further inspire them and all who are connected with the RNLI and lifesaving at sea. The memorial will be accessible at all times so the public can pay their respects and contemplate the extraordinary self-sacrifice of the many people, throughout the whole of the UK and Ireland, involved with the charity over the last two hundred years. Ultimately the memorial will remind us all of the commitment and dedication of those involved with maritime search and rescue past and present, especially the RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crews.’

Four crewmen from Clacton have lost their lives since the first lifeboat arrived in 1878. Second coxswain James Cross and crewman Tom Cattermole were swept overboard  when the lifeboat capsized during a gale on 23^rd January 1884.

Ben Addis died from the effects of exposure five days after a rescue on 14^th January 1888.

Second coxswain Frank Castle was lost overboard from the barge Tam O’Shanta which sank while on tow by the lifeboat on 6^th April 1943.

 

The RNLI invited submissions from artists for an inspirational design. A selection panel representing all areas of the RNLI chose a design by sculptor Sam Holland ARBS. Her evocative steel sculpture depicts a lifesaver in a boat, vulnerable to the elements, saving another from the water, and was thought to symbolise the history, and future, of the RNLI in its most basic and humanitarian form. Then names of those who lost their lives will be engraved in steel bands around the base of the memorial sculpture.

 

Brian Wead, RNLI Service Information Manager, explains:

 

‘Significant research has been undertaken both at headquarters and at our stations to identify over 750 individuals who have made the ultimate sacrifice, but given the passage of time and the vagaries of record keeping over the years, we sadly still have some unknowns or missing initials.’

 

Maureen La Frenais, RNLI Memorial Manager adds:

 

‘The project is being managed and part-funded through the RNLI Heritage Trust, which was set up to preserve the historic objects and archives of the Institution for future generations as donations and legacies given to the RNLI for lifesaving can only be used for that purpose. So we are extremely grateful to the lifeboat station volunteers and crews, the wider RNLI family and our supporters who have made this memorial possible. Our Chief Executive, Andrew Freemantle led the fundraising drive when he cycled 1,100 miles from Poole in Dorset to the Italian capital of Rome and raised more than £55,000, which covers over a third of the cost of the sculpture.’

 

For more information or to make a donation please visit www.rnli.org.uk/memorial. 

 

Notes to editors

• Low resolution images of a maquette of the memorial sculpture are attached. Please credit photo with black background to Studio 11 and the white background photo to Adrian Rogers.

 

RNLI media contacts

 Amy Ross, Divisional Media Relations Manager East on 07786 668825 or aross@rnli.org.uk or contact the RNLI Public Relations Office on 01202 336789 or pressoffice@rnli.org.uk

 

RNLI online

For more information on the RNLI please visit www.rnli.org.uk News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI Press Centre www.rnli.org.uk/press

 

Key facts about the RNLI

Press Officer Mel Winger 12/01/2009