RNLI LARNE FUNDRAISING BRANCH

ALL THE LATEST NEWS IN 2009

Table Quiz
Larne Bowling & Tennis Club

This event, organised on behalf of the Branch by Michael Campbell, took place on Friday 28th August. It was a most enjoyable evening, with a great variety of questions set by experienced quizmaster Michael.

The ballot was very popular too ( many thanks to those who donated items) and the evening added £362 to RNLI funds. Then, much to the surprise of the Branch Hon. Secretary, Lilian Stewart, a further donation of £500, from a group of friends of the late Willie Evans, a Larne crew member, was presented. You may perhaps see the surprise and delight expressed in the photo when this very generous sum was received from Jim McCullough!

The Branch would like to thank the Tennis Club and alll those who took part in the quiz. Sincere thanks also to Michael and his mates for their much-appreciated donation.

RAFT RACE

The Branch had another very successful Raft Race last Saturday with excellent weather from beginning to end - for a change! All the teams enjoyed the event and we were very pleased to award the "RNLI Shield" to the overall winners from Costcutters in Larne. Thanks to all who participated and to those who sponsored them. We would also like to thank East Antrim Boat Club for the use of their premises, P&O for prizes, as well as a number of local firms and businesses, including Duos, Mauds Ice Cream, Country Kitchen, McKeens Butchers and O'Neills Bakery. We had great help from Maurice Adams, Aaron McKinley and John Orr in the Safety boats and Ronnie Thompson and Dave Stewart as starters. Our Chairman Stephen Craig kept us all informed from "up above" (thanks to Chaine Music for their help here) and the Coastguard were also there if needed.

THE TALL SHIPS

The Tall Ships provided the branch with the opportunity to go along and collect at this prestigious event.

Thanks to everyone who went along and lent their support and also to our collectors who managed to collect so much money!

THE DUCKY WINNERS!

The lucky prizewinners of the Duck Derby recently went along to Larne Lifeboat Station to collect prizes. The winners were:

Voucher for East Antrim Superstore, Jean Haveron; Voucher for Allan Dorman & Son, S. Greer; Voucher for The Book Nook, Elizabeth McKeown; Voucher for Woodsides, Felix Surplus and Sarah O’Neill; Voucher for S D Kells, Matthew Bell; Voucher for Watts Family Butchers, Gillian McAdam; Voucher for McFarlanes Chemist, M Liddle and Eleanor Ellison; Voucher for Roy Wilson Car Sales, J McRoberts and Mrs E Simpson; Voucher for 2 free car washes at The Car Wash Glenarm Road, S Millar and C Dorman; Voucher for Co-Op Larne, Linda McRoberts; Voucher for Caffe Spice, Jack Johnston; Cut & Blow Dry at Rio Hair Design, Mrs Helen Hamilton; Facial at Shek Goddess, Georgina McCollum; Voucher for Tom McKeen Butcher, Alison Ford-Hutchinson

Winners of 1st prize - Voucher for the Londonderry Arms Hotel, Carnlough

The youngest winner
Kate O'Neill with her granny

All the winners gather for a group photo

DUCK DERBY

The Inver River in Larne turned a delicate shade of yellow on Saturday 13 June. 800 ducks were released into the river and chased each other downstream in a bid to be the first to the finishing line.

The lifeboat crew who helped on the day did an excellent job of guiding the ducks down the river and preventing them for making a bid for freedom into the North Channel. There was even a bit of real life drama as, just after the race finished, they were called to a shout.

A big thank you to everyone who sponsored a duck, or lent us items to use on the day. A full list of winners and the prizes they received will be listed on the website.


The Crew - Ready and Waiting to Catch the Ducks	And They're Off	Pamela Does a Great Job Guiding the Ducks on their Way


The Race is On	At the Finishing Line

RNLI AWARDS EVENING 2009

The RNLI NI Annual Awards were held in the magnificent surroundings of the Great Hall at Queen's University Belfast on Thursday 21st May, when the guest speaker was Phil Coulter. The Great Hall was filled with those due to receive awards and those who had come along to support them and the evening went most smoothly, with an excellent speech from Phil Coulter and a much-appreciated light supper afterwards.

The Larne Fundraising Branch was very proud to be involved in both individual and group awards. Harry Lennon, a long-standing member of the branch, received a Certificate of Thanks for his sterling work in collecting over the years, especially on annual trips with P&O Ferries and our thanks to P&O also for their support over the years. Harry also supplied the impressive trophy for the annual quiz which is always well supported.

The Branch was given an award for their joint support in collections/events which took place at Junction One. Along with Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Antrim Branches, who also received awards, we helped to raise over £35,000 in eighteen months. Junction One were also represented at the evening and received a Supporters Award.

LENTEN LUNCHES LENT A HAND

Vice-chairman, Esther Dorman and Honorary Secretary, Lilian Stewart went along to St Patrick's Church of Ireland in Whitehead on 8th May to receive a cheque for £100.00. This followed a series of Lenten Lunches held by the Parish of Whitehead and Islandmagee Church of Ireland. Our sincere thanks to the busy ladies and gents who produced a series of delicious lunches and who arranged for a number of charities, including the RNLI, to benefit from their efforts.

HANDING OVER THE CHEQUE

Stephen Craig, Chairperson of RNLI Larne Fundraising Branch was delighted to receive a cheque recently from Gavin Doig of East Antrim Boat Club for £3,275. This fantastic sum was raised at the 2008 Boxing Day swim.

Thank you to everyone who came along and braved the icy waters. It certainly was a great way to 'work off' that Christmas Dinner. An especially big thank you to Rab Rice who put in such a lot of hard work into organising the event.

MURDER MYSTERY NIGHT

East Antrim Boat Club was the scene of a crime on Saturday night, 28 February when Oliver Smooche was smothered in his bed by ????? Don't worry, there wasn't really a murder but whodunnit was the question on everyone's lips at the ever popular Murder Mystery Night.

The evening was a complete sell-out and so far £650 has been raised. The branch would like to thank everyone who helped on the evening, the Larne community who continue to support us so well, East Antrim Boat Club for the use of their facilities, Hazel for providing the most gorgeous Chicken & Broccoli Bake supper and the thespians in the making who acted in the play. Norman, you are just waiting to be 'discovered.'

The crew of the RNLB Sir Samuel Kelly
after the rescue

RNLI SOS EVENT

Larne Fundraising Branch held a very successful Breakfast at East Antrim Boat Club on Saturday 31 January. Stephen Cameron, the author of a well-received book "The Tragedy of the Princess Victoria" gave a very poignant account of the last hours of the doomed vessel.

Breakfast was supplied by Marty's Catering and was well received by everyone.

Thanks to everyone who helped organise the event and especially to Stephen Cameron, Marty's Catering and East Antrim Boat Club for their ongoing support.

The total raised was £505 - which ties in well with SOS!

THE SWIM

2009 was welcomed in with a splash at the New Year's Day swim. 22 swimmers took the plunge into the icy waters with cheers of encouragement from the large crowd. The hot soup was much appreciated, as the conditions were extremely cold but reasonably calm.

A big thank you to all those who took part and supported the lifeboats.

2008 NEWS ARCHIVE

CHRISTMAS SHOP 2008

The Christmas Shop re-opened at Murrayfield Arcade. For one week only, shoppers could stock up on Christmas Cards, Calendars and RNLI Gifts and Stocking Fillers. It also proved a welcome reprieve for the street collectors on the Saturday who were all glad of a steaming hot cup of tea when they came back from their stint.

Many people passed through the doors of the shop, not least for a chance to win a beautiful home baked Christmas Cake and a gorgeous hand knit lifeboatman. Thank you to everyone who contributed in any way to making the shop such a success.

LARNE STREET COLLECTION

Braving sub zero temperatures, the collectors were out in force on the streets of Larne on Saturday 29th September for the annual collection. Everyone was very generous and the boxes were soon filling up.

The Fundraising Branch would like really like to thank everyone who collected on the day on those who contributed. Keep checking back for the grand total.

THANKS!

Larne RNLI and the Fundraising Branch were delighted to receive a cheque from Olderfleet Ladies which was the money they raised renting a raft on 30 August.

A very big thank you ladies for your generous donation and we look forward to seeing you again at next year's event.

RAFTS AHOY!

East Antrim Boat Club was the venue on 30 August for the Annual Raft Race, and what a fantastic day it turned out to be.

The weather was bright and clear with a bit of a head wind making the row out to the marker a bit of challenge. However all the teams enjoyed the tail wind on the way back to shore which made their work a bit easier.

The rescue boat was there should anyone get into trouble, however sometimes it provided more of a hindrance than a help to which many of the soaking wet teams will testify!!

Thanks for support to P&O Irish Sea, F.G. Wilson, Duo's Fast Food, McKeen's Butchers, Maud's Ice Cream, Kenny O'Neill, Costcutter, Larne Cash & Carry and other sponsors who wish to remain anonymous. We are also very grateful to East Antrim Boat Club for facilities and those members who manned rescue boats - Maurice, Billy, Richard B, Derek, Chris D, and to those on shore who organised the starts (or tried hard to!!) Ronnie, Dave and Bobby and to Chaine Radio whose equipment in the excellent hands of our Chairman kept everyone informed. Our especial thanks to the teams who came along and to their sponsors.

FUN FUN FUN AT ISLANDMAGEE!

Saturday 2 August saw our willing volunteers, Lilian and Esther and joined later by Melanie, selling lots of lifeboat goodies at the Community Fun Day at Islandmagee.

Amidst earlier fears that week for the weather, the day was bright and sunny and the crowds came along to enjoy the fun and games.

Many thanks to all those people who made a purchase from the stall. The people of Islandmagee can always be relied on to show their support for the work of the RNLI.

DIDN'T THEY DO WELL!

A special awards ceremony was held recently in the Manor House, Cultra, Holywood to honour the volunteer work of the men and women who give up so much of their time to support the RNLI and no less than three members of the Larne family were given special recognition.

Lillian Stewart, our highly dedicated and motivated Branch Secretary received a Silver badge. Certificates of Thanks were awarded to Janet Liddle and Heather Todd for the excellent job they do highlighting the work of the RNLI within Islandmagee and to Pamela McAuley who has been a dedicated branch member for six years. Pamela is heavily involved with all branch events and helps out regularly with collections. It certainly was a great night for Larne.


Lilian gets presented with her Silver Badge	A Certificate of Thanks of Pam	Heather receiving her Certificate of Thanks

A BIG THANK YOU

To everyone in Larne and the surrounding areas of Islandmagee, Glynn and Ballygally who handed over their coppers to our door to door collectors. Your generosity knows no bounds.

The total raised to date is over £1,800 which really is a wonderful amount.

The committee would also like to thank all the collectors who lent a hand during this collection week. We couldn't have raised this total without your hard work and dedication.

IT ALL WENT SWIMMINGLY WELL

A fantastic total of £5,350 was raised by East Antrim Boat Club at the 2007 Boxing Day Swim.

A cheque was handed over on Sunday 20 April to the RNLI Larne Fundraising Committee, who were absolutely delighted to boost their coffers with this amazing amount.

Speaking at the handover Stephen Craig, Chairperson of the Committee said, "I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took part in the swim. I would especially like to thank Robert Rice for all the hard work and effort he put into organising the event."

Stephen concluded, "We look forward to seeing you all take to the brine again on New Year's Day 2009."

Stephen Craig, Chairperson of RNLI Larne Fundraising Branch receiving the cheque from Gavin Doig, Commodore of East Antrim Boat Club. Looking on are Dave and Lilian Stewart of the fundraising branch and Robert Rice from the Larne Lifeboat Crew

FLORAL ART EXTRAVANGANZA WAS 'BLOOMING MARVELLOUS'

On Wednesday 16 April, East Antrim Boat Club came alive in an explosion of floral colour when professional demonstrators, Jeannie McKillop and Ian McNeill took to the stage to show the amateurs how it was done.

The highlight of the evening was the raffle, which allowed the a few lucky people to take home the floral displays created on the evening. There were many smiling winners leaving at the end of the night!

Everyone agreed that it was an evening to remember and even more importantly, raised £1,531 for the work of the Lifeboat crew in Larne.

A big thank you to everyone who came along and showed their support.

Starting off Proceedings

Starting to take Shape

The Finished Product

One of Ian's Stunning Masterpieces

Lilian does an excellent job choosing the winners