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Photograph shows Jenny Croxson (4th from left) presenting the 'Top Box' shield to Brian Taylor (3rd from right) with Terry Ashmore (Ist on left) looking on. |
The first annual general meeting for the Calshot RNLI station under a new combined management structure was held on Tuesday night, 28 February.
Terry Ashmore, Chairman of the Calshot Lifeboat Management Group, welcomed people to the first agm following the reorganisation of the Hythe & Calshot Branch fundraisers and the Calshot Station into one structure.
This change will help coordinate activity and maximize local interest in the only All Weather Lifeboat station in Hampshire.
Terry went on to report that over £13,000 had been raised locally for the RNLI in the nine months from April to December; the Station Open Day and the annual Waterside Raft Race being two the main events and thanks were given to Hythe Marina Village for all their support with the raft race.
The fine fundraising efforts were put in context by David Griffiths, the RNLI's area fund raising manager, who explained that the organisation overall had not raised sufficient money in 2005 to cover its running costs. 2005 had been a difficult year for charities with so many other exceptional deserving causes such as the Tsunami.
Few volunteer crew members come from seafaring backgrounds these days he explained, and it will be necessary to raise £10 million over the next five years for training alone as part of the 'Train One Save Many' campaign.
Operationally the two Calshot Lifeboats had launched 88 times spending 104 hours on service in 2005. One life had been saved and help given to another 73 people. Over half the launches were at night and £595,420 worth of property had been saved.
John Horton, the Lifeboat Operations Manager, commented in his report that the lifeboats had launched 17 times for either false alarms or hoaxes. False alarms were understandable but hoaxes tied up valuable resources and could potentially prevent help being given to genuine casualties.
Finally, Jenny Croxson presented the fundraising accounts and announced that the Spinnaker Bar at the Calshot Activities Centre had won the 2005 annual 'Top Box' shield for raising most money locally in RNLI collection boxes, a magnificent £166.
After the meeting the shield was presented to Brian Taylor, the Spinnaker landlord, who hires out binoculars in order to view the Solent shipping from his bar with the proceeds going in the box. |
