A couple from Bexleyheath have raised more than half a million pounds after 25 years of dedicated fundraising for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
Over a quarter of a century Barbara and John Thake, of Hurlingham Road, have organised a whole host of fundraising activities, from streets collections around Bexleyheath, raffles and coffee mornings to throwing quiz nights and parties.
Landlocked Bexleyheath is 13 miles from the nearest lifeboat station but its 88-year-old RNLI branch has 43 members with an incredible fundraising record.
Last year alone they raised £18,000.
Barbara has been treasurer of the RNLI Bexleyheath branch for 23 years, but supported the charity for several years before that.
"RNLI has always been dear to me because John and my brother were both in the Merchant Navy," said the 70-year-old.
"Even before I joined our local branch, I would always donate if I spotted any RNLI collection boxes."
Barbara and John Thake at Broadway Shopping Centre with Retail Liaison Co-ordinator Christine Barton.
Now retired, John, 71, served in the Merchant Navy on cargo ships worldwide, including USA, the Suez Canal, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan and the Philippines.
On several occasions Barbara travelled with him: "The first ship I went on we boarded in New York in 1966. It was a big thing in those days flying across the Atlantic to get to the ship.
"We were also off the coast of Vietnam during the Vietnam war. I was only 21 and a lot braver then! Fortunately we survived unscathed."
In later years Master Mariner, John, was based on the River Thames as a pilot, working out of Gravesend, bringing vessels in and out of the estuary.
He also worked on the all important sludge boats which helped combat pollution in the Thames.
Today John is a familiar face among shoppers, having regularly helped at Broadway Shopping Centre and other collection points, sometimes leaving home as early as 6am to arrive at his spot on time. He has come to know many shoppers personally.
"There’s a Mr Jones who he often speaks to, who’s in his nineties. He always donates and they have a good old natter," said Barbara.
Congratulating the couple Christine Barton, Retail Liaison Co-ordinator at Broadway Shopping Centre, where they run a dedicated RNLI stall, said: "Barbara and John are absolutely lovely and do such a fabulous job. They are part of the fabric of Broadway Shopping Centre and everybody knows them.
"It's such a fantastic achievement to have raised so much money over the years. It's testament to their hard work and also to the generosity of the shoppers here at Bexleyheath, and so they deserve a big thank you too."
Barbara and John Thake from Bexleyheath have raised more than £500,000 for the RNLI.
Family, friends and neighbours have got firmly behind the couple’s dedicated efforts and daughter Donna Bunton, 44, has just added to the pot after running the London marathon, crossing the finish line in 4 hours 56 minutes and raising £3,000.
She’s not the only family member to have completed the marathon. Donna’s husband, Neil Bunton, and Barbara and John’s other son-in-law, Ed Dixon, both of Bexleyheath, have also run in past years.
The couple, who have two daughters, Donna and Cindy, and four grandchildren, Jamie, Danny, Sophie and Katy, also help with appeals at local supermarkets and two collections a year on Woolwich Ferry.
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