A night of grand celebration was held last Saturday (11th May) as many guests and crew celebrated the RNLI’s incredible milestone of 200 years with a gala ball held at The Royal Solent Yacht Club, raising funds to help Yarmouth RNLI continue to save lives at sea. After many months of planning, the night finally arrived of the RNLI’s 200th and Yarmouth RNLI’s 100th anniversary celebration. The evening was organised by Yarmouth RNLI fundraising volunteers, crew representatives, their families and event staff at The Royal Solent Yacht Club, who were led by RNLI Fundraising Chair, Debbie Cotton and was sponsored by several local businesses and supporters. The event kick started with guests arriving at the yacht club with local all-male singing group, the Slipshods, performing sea shanties, including one written specially for the 200th in front of an Atlantic 85 B-Class RNLI lifeboat. Guests were then invited through structured balloon arches to be seated in the beautifully orange and blue themed decorated dining rooms and enjoyed a delicious set 3-course meal created by Head Chef Tom from the Royal Solent Yacht Club.
Over 150 guests joined the celebration and included locals of the town, crew, and avid supporters of the RNLI, as well as Lord Grade who was also compere for the event, and Lord Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight, Susie Sheldon – President of the Isle of Wight RNLI Lifeboat Board. Lord Grade gave a short speech about the history of the early years of the RNLI and then went on to talk about Yarmouth RNLI and all its achievements over the last 100 years. Debbie Cotton, Yarmouth RNLI Fundraising Chair said:
“This gala was the best way of celebrating the RNLI’s 200th, and centenary of Yarmouth RNLI. It was a fantastic evening with an amazing band, and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all. It was indeed a very special night to remember, and all for the RNLI”.



























































































Before the event took place the area was overwhelmed by pink trousers and stripey jumpers tied around the neck.
Over 150 people attended, this was just the number of migrants picked up in the free sea taxi at lunchtime.
Before he comes on and calls me gammon, I’m not. There is nothing for the RNLI to celebrate here, they should be ashamed.
exactly – each and every one of them should say “sorry cannot attend this call out, as it is an illegal migrant boat, that should not have put to sea in the first place”
Exactly that, or tow them back to France and puncture the dinghy.
I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great great wall on our southern border and I’ll have France pay for that wall.
Mr Farago is alive and well! Not content with f*cking up Britain through Brexit, now these pillocks want to deny that the outside world exists. Shameful.
Ah, Trump.
The same Trump who thinks Hannibal Lecter was a real person.
Fully agree. I would never ever give to those bringing in people who are daily destroying our country, our culture and our children’s future in their own country.
Disgusting traitors to our national interests. IF they had any loyalty they would resign , but as they don’t they should be ashamed of themselves. Give nothing imo.
I don’t know if you are a “gammon”, but you are certainly a gullible fool if you are gulping the migrant kool-aid the government is pushing to distract you from the utter mess they have made of the country.
No member of the RNLI, or any decent human being, will allow another human to die if they can help them, irrespective of how they got into the mess they are in.
If you think that leaving someone to die because they made a bad decision, I’m assuming you also include people who get cut off by the tide?
In fact, I imagine more than half of the RNLI’s rescues are of people who have done something stupid at sea. Guess you think they should let them die, too?
It is you, and those who think like you, who should be ashamed.
People who get cut off by the tide get rescued and are taken back to where they came from.. they don’t get taken to a different country, for free.
islandleolewie