New Year Ball at Raithwaite Hall

The annual RBRB New Year Ball was held this year at the new and exclusive Raithwaite Hall Hotel on Friday 30th December 2011.

The evening was a resounding success and thoroughly enjoyed by all. Entertainment was provided in the way of live music from the Lee Smith Trio. More pictures to follow!

Auction at The Runswick Bay Hotel

The fantastic sum of £1,000 was raised at a charity auction on Saturday 22nd October at the Runswick Bay Hotel. Robbie Stewart, landlord, auctioneer and organiser off the event, is splitting the funds between the local RNLI and RBRB. As a helmsman on the Runswick Bay Rescue Boat himself, Robbie was keen to acknowledge the invaluable help and support that has been given to RBRB by Whitby RNLI. "It is absolutely right that we raise money for all the local voluntary services and I particularly wanted to say thank you to Whitby RNLI because of everything they have done to help us" said Robbie.

The main auction lot was this beautiful, hand built, model of a Watson Class lifeboat, the same class as Whitby's own Mary Ann Hepworth which remained in service until 1974. The donor, who built the model himself, wishes to remain anonymous although it is fitting that we thank him publicly here for such a generous donation.

Another auction lot was this stunning brass binnacle.

Robbie wishes to express his thanks to all of the donors and all of the bidders who combined to make the evening such a success.

Guisborough Scouts Visit RBRB

A group of cubs from the 3rd and 6th Guisborough Scouts were treated to an educational talk by the crew of the Runswick Bay Rescue Boat on Saturday afternoon.

The cubs, who had been staying at Kettleness, walked along the Ceveland Way to Runswick Bay where they enjoyed lunch, fossil hunting and the teachings of RBRB's new PR and Recruitment Officer, Robbie Stewart. In the picture above, Robbie explains the importance of safety at sea, the workings of the rescue boat and the need for volunteer services such as ours.

Later on the cubs were treated to a display of the capabilities of the boat, and the value of wearing appropriate sea survival kit, when Colin, one of the group leaders, 'fell' out of the rescue boat and needed to be 'rescued'.

RBRB is very grateful for the donation and we hope that everyone benefited from the visit.

Auction for Boat's Funds - Whitby Gazette

RBRB Has a New Crew Leader

After almost three seasons in office, it is time for RBRB to say thank you to Andy Monaghan who stepped down as Crew Leader on 31st August 2011. Andy took on the role of Crew Leader at a difficult time for the charity, when volunteer numbers were diminished and the future was looking decidedly shaky. Andy has been an instrumental part of the team that has revived our fortunes although, as with all volunteer organisations, it will always remain a challenge to find willing crew and committee to continue the important work that RBRB carries out.

We are therefore very pleased to announce the appointment of Tom (Dobbo) Dobson as our new Crew Leader. Tom joined the Rescue Boat in 2008 and has trained and worked hard to win the unanimous support of the crew in this promotion. Tom is a qualified RYA instructor and has enormous skills not just in boat handling and safety but also in all aspects of the maintenance of the service. Tom has also served on the committee since 2009.

Graham Naylor, who succeeded Tom Bottomley as Chairman at the AGM earlier this year, commented; “We are terrifically lucky to have people like Dobbo in our organisation. He is an extremely talented individual who has the full support of crew, committee and supporters alike and we wish him the very best of luck in his new role.”

As part of the ongoing evolution of RBRB, Tom will be supported by a new operational structure and we are also very pleased to announce the following operational promotions to support Tom in his new role:

• Boat and Boathouse Officer, Dave Walker supported by Lewis Clarke and Phil Metcalfe
• Quality Assurance Officer, Mike Sewell
• Training Officer, Simon Blackburn
• Recruitment and PR Officer, Robbie Stewart
• Duties Officer, Neil Suckling
• Communications Officer, Tom Bottomley

Ends

Whitby Gazette Feature

Whitby Gazette on the Very Successful RBRB Weekend 2011