Since the first notification came of closure of the Lifeboat Station in St Abbs, funds had been donated and raised from communities, businesses, clubs and individuals as a way of them showing their support for the Save campaign and the Lifeboat in general. Whilst there was never really a break in this outpouring of generosity, 1st October 2015 marked the official start of the fundraising appeal to provide an independent community-owned boat in St Abbs. Stage 1 of the appeal was to raise £250,000 over the following 5 years with which to purchase a new boat. Stage 2 would aim to bring in a further £250,000 to secure the future running of the Lifeboat, the Station and all the equipment required.
In launching the appeal at the time, Alistair Crowe, chairman and St Abbs Lifeboat Operations Manager said:
“We are delighted to have been able to launch this independent appeal so quickly. Our job as a lifeboat crew is to continue to save lives on this coast. A lifeboat at St Abbs is not a luxury, it is an essential public safety requirement given the growth in leisure activities and the natural geography of the coastline. For anyone in trouble at sea, it is not about the flag on the boat, it is all about the skill and knowledge of the crew. This is a dramatic and treacherous stretch of coast on a big arc at the southern approach to the Firth of Forth. To a seafarer that means it is exposed to weather and tides from the West all the way round to the South. The combined effect of tides and weather round any exposed headland are potentially dangerous, and St Abbs Head is no different.
The area has been one of the top UK dive sites for decades, and there is a lot of growth now from sea kayakers, surfers and sea anglers as well. Plus we have seen an increase over the last few years in local fishing boats operating out of St Abbs Harbour. The track record of St Abbs Lifeboat station and the commitment of its volunteers over its 104 year history speaks for itself. We feel responsible for everyone who uses the sea around our village and we want to be able to keep on doing what we’ve been doing for generations and keep the lifeboat running.”
Following the launch of the appeal, on 2nd October, one of many community meetings was held to informally discuss ideas about how funds could be raised. Staunch supporters to this very day, Coldingham Loch Fisheries immediately donated £1,000. By the end of the week nearly £10,000 had been raised. By 16th October £60,000 was in the bank, and all this was before even the first official fundraising event had been held. On 31st October the first official event was a coffee morning in the village hall which, once again, was packed. Many more events followed including a race night on 20th November which saw locals stumbling home, a little worse for wear, their pockets a bit lighter and their fuddled brains trying to work out if there had been any cheating involved in the proceedings.
The administrative and fundraising activity behind the scenes meanwhile was constant and demanding throughout this period. A committee of 12 people was set up to run the new lifeboat and 7 Trustees were appointed. New crew were selected from the old crew as well as new volunteers. Representatives went to meet other independent lifeboats to get essential advice and guidance from those who had already walked this path. Work was ongoing to formally create a charity using the assistance of a local law firm, freely given. To this point finances had been handled under the umbrella of the St Abbs Community Trust, but this situation obviously couldn’t continue in the long term. Bank accounts and a constitution would be needed.
A Justgiving page was set up and donations were coming in thick and fast to the tune of £13,000 via this route at this point in time. Organisations such as dive clubs were holding fundraising events and sending donations through. Speeches were made at BSAC and ScotSac conferences to spread the word to the few who didn’t already know! Donations from wills and estates started coming in which touched the community greatly as these were donations from people who had faith that the appeal would succeed, but would not see the day that it did. And of course the merchandise line expanded with Dunbar T Shirts turning out teddies, tees, bandanas and buffs, now sporting the “Support St Abbs Lifeboat” logo instead of “Save”. The hardy volunteers selling merchandise shivered in a wind-blasted trailer on the harbour-side where some of the tees would occasionally make a break for it in the wind. They took their stall to craft fairs, markets and supermarket foyers. Stocks of merchandise were heaped on kitchen tables and merchandise was posted from people’s homes all round the world. Divers queued up at the trailer in the harbour in their surface intervals to buy their hoodies, and visitors to St Abbs heard first hand the story of the missing Lifeboat and dug deep.
Events were being held and attended almost every week and rotas were put together to make sure the work was shared out fairly – Friday markets, Cinema in South Georgia, Charity darts, coffee mornings, 21st birthday parties, Kelso Farmers market, Eyemouth late night Christmas shopping, another infamous Race night, Christmas fair at Torness, Christmas fair at Eyemouth primary school, bag pack at Morrisons and a stall in the foyer, the Loonie Dook, Burns Ceilidh in Coldingham, Auction at Scoutscroft, Concerts with Chil…..to name but a few!
Over 75 collection boxes were placed in pubs, shops and community spaces. A cheeky calendar was produced by the St Abbs Market Traders with local folk, including crew, quite shockingly naked in non-compromising positions – it made an incredible £4,000 after appearing in the national press – incredible because the crew picture wasn’t everyone’s taste on a wall for an entire month. This was a community which was used to raising funds for the Lifeboat – it had only just received a framed certificate from the RNLI for its exceptional fundraising effort which saw over £10,000 raised every year for the Lifeboat. All this experience, energy and of course funding was now diverted to the new cause.
The message was clear:
“With your support we are making this happen… There will be a lifeboat back in St Abbs soon. If you’ve donated 25p or £25,000, bought a t-shirt, attended an event or helped out in any other way we’d like to thank you. Every penny has helped bring the day a lifeboat is based back in St Abbs closer”
To be continued……on 24th November with “The Teacake”….
If you were involved in the campaign at the time and have any memories you’d like to share about what you did and what it meant to you, please use the link above to post your thoughts.
If you have any photos you’d like to include in this album we’d love to see them so please email them to [email protected]
