By Press Release
A record £5,500 was raised from a recent Open Day at Freshwater Independent Lifeboat.
It was the charity’s first open day in more than a year and crowds packed to Freshwater Bay for fun, music and entertainment.
Principle fund-raiser, Rod Adams, said: “This massive and record amount was the result of a lot of hard work by our team of volunteers and friends without whom we could not keep the service running. It was gratifying to see so many people in the bay obviously really enjoying themselves. Everyone really needed this wonderful boost of normality after a very hard 15 months.”
For the first time, the crew welcomed the many co-responders across the Island, including Freshwater Fire Station, NCI Needles, IW Search & Rescue along with Suicide Prevention & Intervention IW to provide training, and information about their services.
Rod added: “We opened officially at midday, with crowds growing throughout the afternoon. The raffle table was incredibly busy throughout the day with tickets being sold right up until the last moment. The prizes were exceptional, as Red Funnel’s Charity of the Year (along with the other Independent lifeboats on the Island) donated five return tickets, and the Isle of Wight Festival donated a pair of weekend passes!
“We would also like to welcome two of our new sponsors – Spence Willard and Solent Spirit – for their dedicated support for the event and thank them for their continued support in the years to come.”
As well as stalls, live music and a fancy dress, Freshwater Residents’ Association manned the barbecue, and the lifeboat volunteers cooked up a storm with a selection of 18 different cakes.
Freshwater Fire Station took on the lifeboat crew in a tug-of-war later in the afternoon, with the fire team coming out on top.
Header picture Freshwater Fire Station’s winning tug-of-war team
