Members of Cowes RNLI Lifeboat Station played their part in the RNLI’s Mayday Yellow Welly event by parading through the town with a specially inscribed wellington boot in a child’s inflatable dinghy.
The Cowes stop-off was all part of the ambitious plan for the welly to leave its footprint at all 65 lifeboat stations – from Portishead to Harwich – in just 31 days.
After Yarmouth RNLI Lifeboat delivered the welly to Cowes station members at Trinity Landing, it was put into the station’s education dinghy to then be carried in the rain through the High Street. Through the persuasive powers of the station’s Chaplain, the Rev Andrew Poppe, the enthusiastic entourage – including the charity’s Stormy Stan mascot – were given permission to collect money in public houses and restaurants on the way.
Eventually the welly was handed over by visits team member Jenny Hastings to Glyn Ellis, Operations Manager of the East Cowes-based Inshore Lifeboat Centre, who later passed it on to Bembridge RNLI Lifeboat Station.
The Cowes lifeboat members were well satisfied with their efforts – collecting £423 in just 1 hour and 10 minutes.
