Selsey Lifeboat Station - Station News

Selsey Lifeboat Week 2014

£19,611 Raised This Week!!! What a Fantastic Amount!!!

This year’s Selsey Lifeboat Week took place from Saturday 26th July to Sunday August 3rd 2014. Prior to this several volunteers had taken turns to stand outside Kavanagh Budgen’s Selsey over a three-week period selling Lifeboat Week programmes. The magnificent amount of £903.02 was raised and our thanks go to our major sponsor for allowing us to do this.

Beach Fishing Competition

The Beach Fishing Competition was the first event of the actual week taking place on Saturday 26th July and 23 competitors took part. This year, nobody managed to get a parking ticket and the weather was in complete contrast to last year’s, being warm and sunny. Please click here for report and photos.

Bunn Leisure Collections

In the evening of the 26th July Bunn Leisure generously allowed several fund raisers to collect in the Embassy Club, West Sands, and the White Horse Club. Although it was reported that the clubs seemed quieter than last year a good amount of money was still collected. Our thanks to Bunn Leisure.

Seal Island Gun Club Clay Pigeon Shoot

Sunday 27th July brought the Seal Island Gun Club’s Charity Clay Shoot and a hot and sunny day. The necessary equipment had already been brought across from the club the previous day and early in the morning several volunteers set up the shoot and got everything prepared. This event has proved very successful over the years and the club has raised lots of money for Selsey Lifeboat. During the day we saw several 'regulars' go through registration and lots of people coming to try their hand at clay shooting on the popular 'Have-a-Go' stand. A BBQ was on hand throughout the day for refreshment, helping to add to the funds. Our thanks to Seal Island Gun Club, Bunn Leisure and Ham Farm for making this event possible and to raise the marvellous amount of £954! Please click here for photos.

Sea Service

In the evening of Sunday 27th July the Annual Sea Service was held on Lifeboat Green. An interdenominational service, it was conducted by the Reverend James Wesson, Chaplain to Selsey Lifeboat, and Father John Healy. Music was by Chichester City Band conducted by Ted Howard and the choirs from all four local churches took part in the service.

Please click here for photos.

 

Lifeboat Station Open Evening

Monday 28th July brought the Open Evening at Selsey Lifeboat Station and lots of people turned up to be shown around the ILB ‘Betty and Thomas Moore’, recently returned from her refit, and, in the boathouse, 'Voluntary Worker'. Unfortunately for the visitors who arrived after 7 p.m., 'Voluntary Worker' had been launched on service (please click here for details) and so there was no boat to see!

Please click here for photos.

 

Walking Treasure Hunt

On the evening of Tuesday 29th July the Walking Treasure Hunt took place starting from the Inshore Shed and finishing at the Lifeboat Inn. 152 walkers took part enjoying a lovely stroll along the sea wall and meandering around Broadreeds Estate and further, in glorious sunshine. For answers, please click here. For results please click here. Please click here for photos. Our thanks to Steve and Linda Frampton from Mulberry Divers for compiling this.

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Quiz Night

Wednesday 30th July brought the Quiz at The Seal Public House. Now wise to the fact that tables are in short supply due to the popularity of this event we all tend to have a meal first and then stay put for the Quiz. We had a cracking night with some very irritatingly devious questions and pictures, and a good time was had by all. We raised a lot of money through entrance fees and a raffle, so many thanks to all who attended. Our thanks, as always, to Malcolm, Kiki, Niko and staff for all their help.

Please click here for photos.

 

 

Race Night

On Thursday 31st August lots of people gathered at the Royal British Legion for Race Night. Plenty of fun was had by all. Sponsorship of the races was sold out and we even had a race sponsored by the estate agents in the town. Thanks to Ali Wakeman for all her had work in gathering in the sponsors, helping to make the evening’s total even better than last year’s! Our thanks, also, to all the people who came along, the sponsors of the races, and to all at the Royal British Legion for making it a successful evening.

Please click here for photos.

 

Fun Dog Show

This new event took place in the late afternoon of Friday 1st August on the Lifeboat Green and what a fun event it was! Pooches had been primped and pampered to present them at their best and they were all so well-behaved. There were several classes and the winners of each then went on to the Best in Show. Jane Hassell, Dog Trainer and volunteer with the Labrador Retriever Rescue, was the judge and she found it so difficult to choose between all the lovely dogs parading around the ring. There had to be winners though and a beautiful dog won Best in Show.

Please click here for details of winners and photos.

 

 

 

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Tug of War and Grand Firework Display

At 7 p.m. on Friday 1st August the ever-popular Tug-of-War took place. The weather stayed dry and all the teams were as fiercely competitive as always. Those battling it out this year were The Fisherman's Joy, The Lifeboat Inn Luggers, Stonecold Training and the Lifeboat crew. Thanks to Larry Jupp, score master, and to Clive Wildman and Sean Evans for their organisation of the event and refereeing. When it was the children’s turn Selsey Cubs took part again pulling against the Beavers, along with other children from the crowd. A ladies team from Checkatrade entered and to pull against them a scratch team from the crowd was created, the Selsey Birds - with the Selsey Birds winning! It was such a shame for Checkatrade but our thanks for making the effort to take part. There was also a tug between the Apuldram Centre and the Aldingbourne Centre. Eventually the final pull took place and it was won by Stonecold Training with the Lifeboat Crew in second place. At about 9.30 p.m. the Grand Firework show started and it was fantastic. People commented that it was one of the best ever (thank you Selstar!) and afterwards we had the bucket collection, with Graham Horwood again guarding the loos and 'charging' people to use them, raising a huge amount of money. Another brilliant night!

Please click here for some photos of the firework display.

Flag Day

Saturday 2nd August was the last day of Selsey Lifeboat Flag Week. Unfortunately, the weather was a bit inclement but not as bad as forecast. Lots of volunteers were dotted around Selsey with their cardboard Lifeboat boxes and stickers, encouraging people to donate, and my thanks go to all those volunteers (I am the organizer for this event) as without them this wouldn't be possible. Stormy Stan wasn't available today as he was a guest at a wedding and he apologises for any disappointed children there might be because they didn't get to see him.

Car Treasure Hunt

In the late afternoon/early evening the Car Treasure Hunt took place, starting at the Lifeboat Inshore Shed and finishing at the Lifeboat Inn. Everyone had to find the little green boxes containing clues as well which had been placed along the route, and everyone played fair and didn’t pinch them! The final winners were 'Haven’t Got a Clue' and they were presented with their trophy and prize on Lifeboat Green the following day during Launch Day. The first prize was the use of a Land Rover 'Evoke' for the weekend, courtesy of Harwood's of Chichester. Click here for the clues and questions, here for the answers, and here for the results. Thanks to Ali and Andrea for compiling this fun event.

Please click here for photos.

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Lifeboat Launch Day

Sunday 3rd August arrived – Selsey Lifeboat Launch Day. A bright and sunny day. The stallholders arrived early and were shown to their spots by Sean Evans, and The Chichester Classic Car Club took their place on the overflow car park just down from the end of Lifeboat Green along Kingsway. Also on show were classic ambulances.

Sue Rae and her cousin were manning the organizer’s caravan selling Lifeboat Stations and directing the winners of the paintings to their prizes, generously donated by local artists and all bought by Neil Kimber, Highhouse Insurance Services, with the winning tickets placed randomly in the cool bags he was selling for 50p from his spot on Lifeboat Green.

At 12.30 p.m. the presentations were made. Lifeboat plaques or certificates were presented to Pete Horton, Pete Horton Plumbing, for his sponsorship of the balloon race, Mike Mott for his many years of serving beer, wine and spirits on Lifeboat Green, Neil Kimber, Highhouse Insurance, for his sponsorship of the Raft Race and lots of other things, Riverside Medical, Steve Harriot of Selstar Fireworks, George Hopkins for his many years of completing the Sponsored Walk raising lots of money over those years, Peter Shaylor for his twenty-two years of bringing his funfair to the Lifeboat Green, and to a four-year girl called Grace Studholme. Grace raised £1,160 completing the Selsey Lifeboat Sponsored Walk back in May and to read more about her amazing feat, please click here. Cheques were presented by the Southern Model Lifeboat Society, Insulated Construction and Seal Island Gun Club for money raised during Lifeboat Week, and the winning team from the previous evening’s Car Treasure Hunt were presented with their trophy and voucher for their weekend’s use of a Landrover ‘Evoke’, courtesy of Harwood’s of Chichester. Rob Archibald, crew member, was presented with his 20-year service medal. Marvellous!

My job that day was to go down to the start of the Raft Race to try and write down a description of the all the rafts entered so that Colvin Rae, commentator, could identify them all when they were racing! Easy when you have two lobsters and a lobster pot, or a Viking ship, but not so easy when you’ve got rather beefy chaps in white, blue or black tee-shirts! We managed, Colvin and I, after a fashion, when the race was in progress. "Is that the Lifeboat Crew?" "I don’t know, they’ve got white tee-shirts on and the crew usually wear light blue shirts!" "It must be the crew – there’s no-one else it could be!" That sort of thing. It was a very fiercely-fought race but the eventual winners were the Lifeboat Crew, wearing white tee-shirts, with East Beach Evangelical Church, aka the Vikings, winning the best-dressed raft. £225 prize money was given back to Selsey Lifeboat and matched by Highhouse Insurance.

The crowds on Lifeboat Green grew stronger in number, as did the number of people thronging to the beach in readiness for the air display by the Gnat Display Team. At 2.30 p.m. the two planes flew in and gave an amazing show to the waiting crowds. They rolled and looped, flew upside down, and even drew a heart in the sky, delighting everyone who saw them. All too soon it was over and they made their final fly-past.

At 3 p.m. the show began with a display of fire-fighting on water, a rescue of 'drunken' swimmers, and then 'Voluntary Worker' was launched, joining the Lifeboats from Littlehampton and Hayling Island, and the Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority patrol vessel, 'Merlin'. The crew of the 'Voluntary Worker' sprayed the children on the beach with water much to their delight while waiting for Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 104 to join in the fun, which she did after being slightly delayed on operational matters. A demonstration of winching someone off of the Lifeboat and generally flying around and waving to the crowds was then seen and then it was time for the final sail past to take place.

Our collection buckets were returned to the organizer's caravan and the great tidy-up began. Throughout the day raffle tickets had been sold for a lovely pushbike supplied by Summit Bikes, Selsey. Selsey Bill Sub Aqua Club ran a Treasure Island game during the day, the prize being a large toy turtle. This was won by a young lad called Aaron who correctly chose where the treasure was buried. The winning programme number was 5867 and, if you have the programme with this number on it, then please click here to email the Branch Chairman, Colvin Rae, to claim your prize, or telephone him on 01243 601822. Lucky Lifeboats had also been sold throughout the day – 1st Port Isaac £50, 2nd Scarborough £25, and 3rd Tobermory £10. All winners have been notified and should have received their winnings.

From Friday evening, through Saturday, and all day on Lifeboat Day, GB4SLB Amateur Radio Station broadcasted from the Lifeboat compound and had a reasonably successful time. To read their report please click here.

Selsey Lifeboat fundraising chairman, Tracy Riddolls, was delighted with the event. "We’ve had so much support from locals all week," she said. "On behalf of everyone at the Lifeboat Station, I would really like to thank everyone, including our sponsors. We appreciate the support of residents and the community and we hope everyone enjoyed themselves."

The Chairman and Committee of Selsey Lifeboat would like to give sincere and grateful thanks to all the people who helped make this year's Lifeboat Week the enormous success it was. You know who you are – we couldn't do it without you.

Until next year...

For lots of photos of Launch Day, please click here.

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