Hornsea Inshore Rescue’s training last Thursday evening was preceded by a visit from Hornsea resident Dominic Cerutti who had come to present the charity with a cheque for £2,000.
Mr Cerutti had raised the money from sponsorship by completing the Express to Hornsea marathon. It was the first marathon he had taken part in, and he finished it in five hours and 12 minutes.
He first became interested in running four years ago, mainly to lose weight, but inspired
by his aunt, who had done four London and the Venice marathons, he thought he would give it a go. He has now become a real enthusiast and intends to do the Leeds, London and perhaps New York marathons.
Sue Hickson-Marsay, chairman of Hornsea Inshore Rescue and station manager, thanked Mr Cerutti, saying, “It’s quite humbling to know that people like Dominic do such amazing things to raise our profile and raise money from members of the public. It really makes us feel valued by the community for the lifesaving service we provide.”
Meanwhile, the charity received some surprise visitors in Rotherham residents and lifeboat enthusiasts Philip and Yoki Marsh.
Philip and Yoki, who are shoreline members of the RNLI, had often watched Hornsea’s independent lifeboat training and felt they would like to support the organisation where possible. When they returned from a birdwatching holiday in Norfolk they found they had some holiday money left over and decided it would be put to best use by Hornsea Inshore Rescue, so they turned up at their training day to present a cheque for £240.
Mrs Hickson-Marsay added: “What a wonderful gesture. People who donate to our funds are just as much lifesavers as the crew, for without these donations we would not be able to operate and many lives would have been lost.”
Hornsea Inshore Rescue is situated at the southern end of Hornsea promenade. It is a totally independent organisation run entirely by volunteers and receives no government nor RNLI funding. It is not part of the RNLI.
Visitors and volunteers are always welcome whether they would like to serve as crew (comprehensive training is given), fundraisers or general helpers. Anyone interested is welcome to phone Sue on 07796 257989 or Ian on 01964 534302.
