Donate now

Village church set for Hunstanton RNLI carol service

Lifeboats News Release

A 14th Century Church on the Norfolk coast will be filled with festive song for a special carol service dedicated to the emergency services.

RNLI/Chris Bishop

St Mary's at Old Hunstanton was packed for last year's service
St Mary's at Old Hunstanton will be hosting the free event on Wednesday, 17 December.

Hunstanton Concert Band will be performing once again, with musical director Paula Cuthbertson at the helm.

The service has been organised by volunteers from the nearby lifeboat station, whose visits lead Kate Craven said it was intended to thank all of the emergency services who keep us safe.

She added many will be at work or on call over Christmas like the lifeboat crew, whose members will be ready to answer their pagers 24/7 throughout the festive period, including 25 December.

Admission to the event, which begins at 6.30pm, is free. There will be a retiring collection for the RNLI.

More than 200 attended last year's event, with this year's service expected to attract similar numbers.

Parking is at the church car park on the right as you enter the village just before the duck pond.

Editor's notes

Hunstanton Concert Band's links with the RNLI go back 25 years to its first-ever performance, which was at the naming ceremony for the then new Atlantic 75 Class lifeboat DJS Haverhill at Hunstanton lifeboat station in May, 1999.

The 30-strong band gave some rousing performances at the church last year to celebrate the 200th anniversary of both the RNLI and the founding of a lifeboat service at Hunstanton.

Hunstanton is one of Norfolk's busiest lifeboat stations, whose volunteers operate both the inshore lifeboat Spirit of West Norfolk and a search and rescue hovercraft.

They cover The Wash, a tidal estuary sprawling across 200 square miles fed by five main rivers, along with parts of the north Norfolk coastline.

They'll not only be on call on the night of the carol service, but over the festive period - as they are 24/7, 365 days of the year.

RNLI media contacts

For more information call Chris Bishop, Hunstanton RNLI volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer on 07584 147219 or the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.

RNLI/Chris Bishop

Hunstanton Concert Band will be at the helm for this year's service

RNLI/Chris Bishop

The towering interior of St Mary's Church at Old Hunstanton

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.

Categories