Redcar RNLI makes a date to save lives

The Redcar RNLI is hoping to make 2009 a year to remember by producing it's very own fundraising calendar.

The calendar depicts scenes of Redcar and it's coastline, and all the images in it are winners of a photo competition run by one of it's creators on the community web forum www.redcar.net. The money raised from the sale of the calendars will go towards the Redcar RNLI's 'Train one, save many' crew training appeal.

Dave Cocks, deputy launching authority at the town's lifeboat station, got the idea of holding a competition after his colleague at the station, Charlie Bade, produced a successful calendar for 2008 using images from the same web forum.

Dave Cocks said, 'The calendar produced by Charlie last year proved very popular, particularly with ex-pats from Redcar and the surrounding area, because it showed local images.

'We decided to repeat the idea, this time with the added spice of a photo competition run on the web forum www.redcar.net.

'There are some magnificent photographers who contribute to the site and making the final decision was a tough task for the judges.'

The A4 size calendars have been produced by the staff and inmates of Holme House prison in Stockton.

Dave Cocks said, 'It originally looked like we would have to use a commercial printer to produce the calendars, but that meant diverting some of the money raised. Then the guys at the prison stepped in and offered to produce them at no charge to us. That means every penny that comes in can go towards the crew training appeal. It costs an average of £1000 per year to train a crewmember so every penny counts.

'What makes this calendar special is that the whole thing from start to finish has been a community effort. It has been produced by the local community, shows off some of the best images of the area, and the money raised will be used to train the local volunteer lifeboat crew.'

The calendars go on sale at the Redcar RNLI station on Saturday 8 November and cost £4. The shop will be open from 11am to 2pm each day of the week except Wednesday.

The image shows Redcar RNLI volunteer crewmembers displaying the 12 months of the 2009 calendar. Back row, left to right, Blake Brunskill, Nigel Gardner, Andy Beevis. Front row, left to right, Dave Scott, Mark McGuire, Mark Reeves.

...first published 12 Nov 2008