SIR,

In some fairly inclement weather the intrepid collectors for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's  Monmouth Flag Days collected £1,095.86 on 3rd and 4th August.

It is an indication of the soft spot the nation holds for the RNLI that we can achieve such a good sum in landlocked Monmouth, in spite of the weather, but then everyone goes to the seaside. Most people can tell a lifeboat story or will have visited one of the 235 lifeboat stations or seen one of  the 340 operational lifeboats around the country.

The brave volunteers who man the lifeboats not only save lives at sea, but attend boating and swimming incidents and provide over 900 lifeguards to patrol Britain's beaches.

You don't have to be at sea to experience difficulties, there are hazards on the summer holiday as well.

It costs £404,000 a day to keep the lifeboat service running and it is most important that we keep up the effort to raise this vital money.

Therefore I am asking the people of Monmouth, young and old, to stand up and volunteer to work to raise money for this much loved and vital charity.

We need new ideas and new people to keep our Branch going. Please contact Clare Tuggey, Chairman of the Monmouth Branch, at [email protected]">[email protected]

Clare Tuggey