Bembridge Guild
The Guild meets monthly on the first Monday of each month at 14:30 in the Bembridge Methodist Church Hall. (NB: the second Monday in May).
New members are always welcome; contact any of the Committee members shown below who will be delighted to tell you more about the Guild and how to join. There is a minimal annual subscription of £2.00.
Regular Coffee mornings are held in the Bembridge Village Hall - see dates below. Do come and join us from 10:00 onwards (finishes at 12:00).
Crew & Guild socials are run at least twice a year.
2020 Dates:
Key Committee members are as follows:
Chairman - John Gulliver (01983 873248) - bemguildadmin@btinternet.com
Vice-Chairman - Noel Stimson (01983 874204)
Hon Secretary - Lesley Gulliver (01983 873248) - bemguildadmin@btinternet.com
Hon Treasurer - Tim Woodcock (01983 872519)
Volunteer Shop Manager - Di Hawes (01983 875296)
School & Youth Visits, & Education - Deborah Meadows (01983 874408)
Box Secretary - Sandra Beany
Membership Sec (& Flag Day Co-ordinator) - Chris Grant
Warners Raffle Coordinator - Pam Young
Boathouse Rota Coordinator - Deborah Meadows
Coffee Morning Coordinators - Sheila Sowerbutts & Trish Beckett
Press Officer - Ken Orchard (01983 873139)
Yellow Welly Week 2019 (25th May - 2nd June) - by Ken Orchard
The “Yellow Welly” event at Bembridge lifeboat station was a huge success, with around 2,500 visitors to the lifeboat station’s offshore boathouse during the week.
This event was both educational with support of the RNLI’s “Respect the Water” campaign – an initiative aimed at reducing the number of water-related fatalities, and fun, with activities in the boathouse and on the beach for youngsters and adults alike.
Valuable safety information was on offer to the public on how to keep safe in a marine environment with the RNLI’s Community safety stand manned by The RNLI’s Coastal Safety Team who conducted a ‘lifejacket clinic’ for boat users, with 11 lifejackets being checked for safety compliance. In all, over 100 ‘meaningful discussions’ took place on safety matters, many of them on the issues of coastal dog walking.
The Bembridge Street fair attracted large crowds to the Bembridge Lifeboat Guild education and retail stands with the “D” class inshore lifeboat on display, allowing children to dress up in junior lifeboat kit and go aboard for photos to be taken. Many people visited the education and sea safety stands over the week and discussed safety issues, with nearly 100 children attending the two education days. On the less serious side, there was something for all ages, with dressing-up in junior lifeboat kit and storytelling for the younger ones, to safety line throwing and “welly-wanging” competitions on the beach for older children and adults. One young visitor to the station was ‘lifeboat-mad’ 4 year-old Teddy Orford-Kemmish from Shoreham, who had so far visited
27 lifeboat stations around the country and whose bedroom is decorated in RNLI colours with pictures of every lifeboat type.
The training launch and demonstration of the all –weather Tamar lifeboat “Alfred Albert Williams” on the Tuesday evening attracted around 300 people to the offshore boathouse, which was followed by hotdogs and drinks provided by the Bembridge Lifeboat Guild in the inshore boathouse.
Whilst the week was primarily aimed at promoting the RNLI’s “Respect the Water” safety message, it was also a fun occasion and continues to be a popular and important event in the Bembridge lifeboat calendar.
Ken Orchard
Bembridge RNLI Lifeboat Guild Press Officer