St Mary’s Lifeboat Station
St Mary’s RNLI volunteers say they are delighted with their new souvenir shop in the lifeboat station.
They’ve relocated from Thoroughfare as the owner of their former unit needed to take back the space.
Clare Jenkins has overseen the shop’s operation since 1977. It provides around 70% of RNLI income on the islands and in 2011, generated over £18,000.
And Clare hopes that could be boosted even higher, with people visiting the information boards in the lifeboat station now having the opportunity to buy something from the shop.
Clare says the RNLI has a loyal following and as soon as summer starts, people call in to buy gifts – even Lifeboat Christmas cards!
A team of shop fitters from RNLI headquarters in Poole helped set up the new display area, which Clare says looks very professional.
The shop will open each day between 10am and 12noon and from 2pm to 4pm.
Clare says she’d like to extend hours if they can recruit more people to add to their team of eight volunteers. There are some vacancies for around half a dozen helpers on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday mornings.