It’s time for our annual competition which is a friendly affair and is NOT compulsory.  If you don’t want to enter a painting that’s fine, please just use the suggested idea as inspiration for a drawing or painting. The competition theme will be on both Wednesday and Saturday sessions, but if you prefer come along and ‘do your own thing’.

Wednesday 10th April 7-9pm – Start painting for the competition

The subject is – the 200th Anniversary of the RNLI – The Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Philanthropist Sir William Hillary began the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, with King George IV as patron, after witnessing and taking part in many shipwreck rescues where he lived on the Isle of Man. It was renamed the RNLI in 1854.

24 hours a day, 7 days a weeks, every day of the year for 200 years the RNLI has provided a ring of safety around the UK and Ireland. Based in Poole, Dorset, there are now 238 lifeboat stations, 448 lifeboats and hovercraft, over 5700 volunteer lifeboat crew members, lifeguards on 200 beaches and flood rescue teams on standby nationally and internationally.

Lifeboats have been launched over 380,000 times saving more than 144,000 lives. Lifeguards have responded to over 303,000 incidents, saving over 2000 lives. 19 lifeboats took part in the rescue of Allied troops from Dunkirk in 1940. Sadly, since the RNLI’s inception, over 600 crew members have died during rescues.

Gravesend lifeboat station opened in 2002, one of four lifeboat stations on the River Thames.

The tv programme ‘Saving Lives at Sea’ began in 2016 and follows crew and rescues at many lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland. Have you visited Chatham Dockyard and seen the many lifeboats in one of the covered slips?

Further details to read are under the ‘what we do’ header on the RNLI’s website… www.rnli.org

Several RNLI quarterly magazines, given to those who donate to the service, will be available at the sessions to read and use as inspiration for your drawing or painting.

There are countless subjects to draw or paint…

People – paint a portrait of a crew member in their uniform from modern times or earlier years, or one of the lady launchers who launched lifeboats from the shore to the sea.

RNLI founder Sir William Hillary… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hillary . Cromer crab fisherman Henry Blogg ‘one of the bravest men who ever lived’… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Blogg. Lighthouse keeper’s daughter Grace Darling… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Darling.

Buildings – lifeboat stations on the coast or rivers, or those that launch lifeboats down a slipway in the sea.

Lifeboats – there are several different classes of lifeboat from huge sea-going craft to smaller river rescue boats and hovercraft. Some are launched by tractor in to the sea, like at Dungeness.

A rescue – paint the drama of a rescue at sea.

There’s no right or wrong way to paint this subject…just your way.

Saturday 27th   10am-3pm   –    Competition continued

Continue with your RNLI picture, or paint another. All pictures to be in by 2.15pm then we all cast one vote for our favourite painting. There will be small cash prizes for the winner and runner-up.

A maximum of two drawings/paintings per member.  If you have a picture but can’t attend today please arrange with someone to take and collect your artwork. Or if you come to the Wednesday session but know you can’t make the Saturday session, your picture can be put in our storage cupboard upstairs and brought down for the competition.

If you feel uncomfortable entering the competition that’s fine, you don’t have to. Paint the RNLI theme but leave your painting on your own table so it won’t be on the separate tables with the submitted pictures.

All proceeds from the raffle will be sent to the RNLI, along with all donations for cake that will be available on the day :o)

Good luck everyone!