Intrigue lies behind a £10,000 bequest left to Shoreham RNLI

Shoreham RNLI has received a generous donation but the reason behind it is a bit of a mystery.
Graham Collins presents the bequest to coxswain Steve Smith, right, and second coxswain Simon Tugwell. Picture: Shoreham RNLIGraham Collins presents the bequest to coxswain Steve Smith, right, and second coxswain Simon Tugwell. Picture: Shoreham RNLI
Graham Collins presents the bequest to coxswain Steve Smith, right, and second coxswain Simon Tugwell. Picture: Shoreham RNLI

Margaret Collins, who died in November aged 88, always loved the sea but had no connection with lifeboats, or indeed Shoreham.

Son Graham Collins said his mum had lived in Brighton for 40 years and he would love to know the reason why she chose to specify Shoreham RNLI to receive a £10,000 bequest in her will.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: “It is very intriguing. She absolutely adored the sea and for a long time had a partner in the Merchant Navy. She spent all her time down at Brighton Marina and walking along the front.

“The legacy was a bit of a surprise. She made two major donations to charities, the other to the air ambulance, which made more sense because when they set up London’s Air Ambulance, I was a police officer involved as part of it and she knew a lot of the crew.

“The lifeboat legacy was a bit of an odd one. The only thing I can think about it was she loved the sea. She had been on the odd cruise and little trips on the boats at Brighton, whenever we went on holiday we would always go to the sea, but that’s all.

“She loved Newhaven as a port. It used to be nothing but in the last few years, it has built up to a marina and many a time we have been down there and chatted to the lifeboatmen, so she had more of an affinity there than at Shoreham.”

Graham wanted to present the cheque personally so he travelled to Shoreham RNLI Lifeboat Station from his home in Kent. He was treated to a trip out on the lifeboat and said he had a really good day.