The RNLI range of Christmas Cards and Calendars are now on sale at Bosun Bob's Chandlery, Quay Street, Bangor. The designs are all completely new. Diaries are also in stock, so make your purchase whilst stocks are available.

Thanks to Bosun Bob's for using his Chandlery for the sale of the RNLI goods.

The annual swim on Boxing Day in aid of ‘Sparks NI’ is as challenging as ever! I know how many of you were left feeling disappointed by last year's cancellation due to the extreme weather conditions, so put it into your Christmas calendar and turn up to renew old friendships or make new ones, while supporting a very worthy cause.

Our favourite charity, the Bangor branch of the RNLI is busy in the run up to Christmas. Don’t forget the RNLI Christmas shop in Bosun Bob’s at the bottom of High Street in Bangor. Please shop early and then you will have the best choice from the full range of Christmas Cards, Calendars and Diaries to choose from.

Lough Swilly Yacht Club (LSYC) presented a cheque of €1300 to the Buncrana RNLI, which had been raised at the recent annual dinner dance.

Bangor RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew and supporters are calling on walkers to join them on Sunday 11 April 2010 for their annual sponsored coastal walk from Holywood to Bangor.

The RNLI Christmas shop is open from the beginning of November in Quay Leisure, High Street. Get your Christmas cards and calendars and all those stocking fillers from the RNLI this year. It’s a worth cause which most of us come into contact with, so do support the RNLI

A big congratulations to Alex Ward who raised almost £1000 for the RNLI and Cancer Research in Ballyholme Yacht Club last Saturday. He ‘volunteered’ to have his back waxed and it certainly drew the crowds whilst raising funds at the same time. It was great to see the Club packed with members and friends – thanks to Mark Mackey and his active Shore Committee.

(Elaine Taylor BYC)

The annual RNLI Christmas shop is once again located in Nautical World, High Street, Bangor. Do support your local service through buying Christmas cards, calendars and all those great stocking fillers.

This weekend sees Tiffany Brien’s challenge to sail single handed in her Laser Radial from Belfast Lough to Scotland to raise funds for Belfast Lough Sailability charity to buy a ‘Skud’ sailing boat for disabled sailing with the target of getting a Northern Ireland disabled sailor to the 2012 Olympic Games. Tiffany will be looking for sponsorship so dig deep when she tries to persuade you to sponsor her

After a great fund raiser last year, the RNLI have organised their sponsored walk for Sunday 13 April along the coastal path from Holywood to Bangor. 

You can pick your starting point – long or short distance and then get the free Translink train to your starting point.  

There will be refreshments available at the Lifeboat station following the walk. 

Please contact the Belfast RNLI Office on 90473665 for a sponsorship pack.  Get organised, get walking and bring a friend!

Stock up on those hard to find Christmas presents and help the RNLI

Following the sail from Bangor to Portpatrick on Saturday September 16th, by 11 members of Ballyholme Yacht Club, over £12,500 was raised in support of the Carrickmannon MRI Unit fund for the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

Running an event over the winter or in 2007 that you would like to promote to the wider sailing community in NI?

Saturday September 16 – mark it down as an historic day; because it was then that 11 intrepid members of Ballyholme Yacht Club completed a 25-mile trip from Bangor to Portpatrick in single-handed Lasers, the first time this has ever been achieved.

A group of BYC Laser sailors planed to make the trip from Bangor to Portpatrick across the Irish Sea to raise money for the MRI Scanner Unit at the RVH however in what one seasoned weather watcher described as “a little breezy and kinda choppy” our brave attempt at crossing the channel was scuppered.