Seasiders celebrate 10th anniversary with £1k cheque for RNLI

The colourful character buses – including Rocky, Shelly, Candy – are operated by Stagecoach from Skegness to Chapel St Leonards from Easter until October.

Last week held a community event in Tower Esplanade to mark the milestone.

Families, tourists and members of the community joined in the celebrations, which included face painting, magic shows, a wheel of fortune, Seasider cakes and activities on Hattie the play bus.

The new Seasider storybook, starring Scoop and Milly the Seasiders, was also showcased at the event.

The story follows the beloved characters’ adventure during a storm-struck 10th birthday party, with a lifeboat coming to their rescue.

The £1,000 cheque was presented to the Skegness RNLI, received by Mairi Perry, Fundraising Chair, Paul Simpson, Lifeboat Operations Manager, and their mascot Stormy Stan.

Money raised from sales of the new Seasider storybook, face painting, and other donations totalled an extra £456.17.

Matt Cranwell, Managing Director of Stagecoach East Midlands, said: “For 10 years, the Skegness Seasiders have been making our passengers smile, and our anniversary event was a vivid reminder of just how much joy they bring.

"The strong turnout underscored our community’s enthusiasm for the Seasiders, and their collective support for the Skegness RNLI was truly inspiring.

“The event highlighted the profound impact we can achieve together to support services that are essential to our safe enjoyment of the beach. A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved—especially our Charity Partner, the Skegness RNLI, for their unwavering dedication to saving lives at sea.”

Anjie Rook, RNLI Associate Director overseeing the RNLI’s 200th anniversary programmes, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Stagecoach East Midlands for helping the RNLI to save lives at sea by choosing us as Charity of the Year, particularly as we celebrate our bicentenary in 2024.

“For 200 years, it is people who have made the RNLI what it is – from our brave volunteer lifesavers who risk their lives to save others, to the committed fundraisers and generous event organisers and donors – support like this is crucial to raising awareness of what we do and funding our 24/7 lifesaving service.”

In conjunction with the festivities, Stagecoach East Midlands reminds bus users travelling to the coast this summer to stay safe around water. They advise visiting lifeguarded beaches, assessing swimming abilities before entering the water, acclimatising to water temperatures, and ensuring shore cover from someone on the beach.

For full safety advice, please visit: https://rnli.org