A shop in Withernsea has handed over a cheque for more than £1,800 to the RNLI.
The Original Factory Shop in Queen Street has been a big supporter of the lifeboat charity for many years, and its latest fundraising drive began after vandals threw a large rock through the store’s window last January.
In the spirit of turning a negative into a positive, assistant store manager Louise Whitfield, along with Jenna Whitford and Phillipa Clarke, decided to name the offending missile after Hollywood star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and customer Lindsey Seymour painted the actor’s likeness on it.
“The Rock” was raffled off in March in memory of Withernsea RNLI operations manager Steve Medcalf, who had died the previous December – and, poignantly, the winning ticket was drawn by his son, James, who has since joined the town’s lifeboat crew.
Meanwhile, Withernsea RNLI has unveiled a series of 50th anniversary souvenirs available to purchase from the station at the bottom of South Cliff Road on the South Promenade, including a 2024 calendar, mug, wristbands and pin badges.
All proceeds go directly to the charity, and can be bought from the station on Wednesdays from 6.30pm to 8pm, and Sundays from 9am to 10am.
Withernsea Lifeboat operations manager Darren Hickey said: “We are overwhelmed at the generosity and support from the local community. Without this support we could not carry out our service as effectively as we’d like to. The aim of saving lives at sea is really a community goal.”
