Annual lifeboat day raises £10,000

The RNLI held its annual Open Day on Lerwick’s Victoria Pier on Saturday and equalled last year’s record-breaking turnover figure of £10,000. Some £3,500 of this was raised on the NorthLink trip around Bressay, which attracted over 500 people.

In the fine weather, Victoria Pier was a hive of activity and the tea tent and barbecue were particulary busy, with everyone working extra hard to keep up with demand. As well as the popular dunking the lifeboatman, Stormy Sam entertained younger visitors.

President of the Lerwick Ladies Lifeboat Guild Linda Simpson said: “As always, the trips around Noss on MV Hrossey, courtesy of NorthLink Ferries, drew a large crowd. From the deck, the star attraction was, of course, the spectacular displays by the Coastguard helicopter and lifeboat while, in the café, the teas were so popular that we ran out of sandwiches. Thankfully, we have the right contacts and were able to draft in extra supplies by lifeboat at the back of Bressay!

“We are, once again, extremely grateful for all the support that we receive on the day and, in particular, to Jane Leask, and everyone at NorthLink Ferries. We greatly appreciate Captain Nigel Barnes and the crew of MV Hrossey offering tours of the bridge, bringing an additional boost to our fundraising effort.

“Thankfully, in Shetland we all recognise the importance of the lifeboat service to our community and work hard to support it.”