Thanks to the generosity of the public, the RNLI volunteer collectors raised a total of £2564.51 during Flag Week, which ran from July 28 to August 2 this year. Our thanks go to Mrs. Davies, Sainsbury's store manager, for allowing us to collect over £1,000 outside the store between Monday and Saturday. We also collected outside the Mini Mart in New Hedges for a couple of days, and over £400 was raised there. Further Daniel van Saantvoort, the Abbot of Caldey, kindly gave us permission to collect on the island for a fortnight. Although the boats did not sail every day, nearly £900 was collected there. The volunteers would like to thank everyone on the island for making us so welcome, particularly Suzanne Bolton who, as usual, looked after our equipment overnight, and the boatmen who kindly ferried us across. We appreciate their generosity in doing this. We would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank our dedicated band of volunteer collectors. This year they are: Doreen Mortimer, Jayne Hughes, Jan Evans, Barbara Pegg, Arthur Squibbs, Michael Hickling, Chris Moore, Beth McBurnie, Janet Thomas, Margaret and Lewis Day, David Morgan, Sue Broomhead, Mary Morgan, Kate O'Neill, Sue James, Nicole Evans, Siriol Roberts, Jill Vickery, Christine Harries, Jan Griffiths, Bev Owen, Julie Jenkins, Judith Brew, Ann Badham, David and Janet Evans, John and Liz Brearley, Jocelyn Morris, Liz Green, Althea Shaw, Jenny Deverson, Rosemary Evans and Julia Dashfield. Most importantly, we wish to thank all those members of the public who gave so generously, showing how much they value the work of the RNLI, our lifeboatmen and women and the lifeguards who patrol our beaches during the summer.

Michael Hickling (Flag Week co-ordinator)