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Pirates might be associated more with pillaging than with charitable deeds, but this week the Wellington Wailers – Shoreham’s resident sea shanty crew, who often dress as buccaneers for their boisterous performances – gave £2,400 to the RNLI, meaning that they have now donated £11,000 to the lifeboats since the singing group was founded in 2012.

Representing money raised through sales of the Wailers’ two CDs, and collections during their gigs, the cheque was handed over at the Wailers’ monthly appearance at the Duke of Wellington pub on Brighton Road, a vibrant live music venue that is their sponsor and spiritual home. The Wailers were dressed in seasonal style for the occasion, with tinsel and baubles lending a festive touch to their pirate garb, and the donation was received by the Shoreham lifeboat crew, resplendent in their yellow RNLI jackets.

Ahead of the presentation, the Wailers sang ‘The Lifeboat Girl’, a humorous shanty about a young woman who takes drastic steps to win the heart of a lifeboat crewman. In the song, it is the ship’s coxswain who wins the day – and, fittingly, it was the Shoreham Harbour Lifeboat Station’s Coxswain, Simon Williams, who stepped up to accept the donation.

He said: ‘Thank you to everyone who donated to the RNLI, and to the Wailers for all you have done this year and every year.’

The Shoreham Harbour Lifeboat Station’s Coxswain, Simon Williams, accepting the Wellington Wailers' donation of £2400.

The RNLI has long been a focus of the Wailers’ fundraising, both at home and further afield. At the International Sea Shanty Festival in Falmouth, Cornwall, where the Wailers have featured regularly since 2014, participating crews are challenged to raise as much as possible for the RNLI through collections at their gigs – and in 2022 the Wailers were proud to take first place after bringing in over £1,700.

As well as their fundraising efforts, the Wailers also have a link to the RNLI in the form of one of their singers, Dr Tim Stevenson, who was the Shoreham lifeboat’s doctor for 30 years. Speaking about his former crewmates, he said: ‘I was on the boat for 30 years; these guys are amazing – the fundraising that we do is nothing compared to what they all do, all along the coast here.’

The presentation was followed by a further donation of £250, which was given to the RNLI by the Shoreham Masons, and concluded – at the lifeboat crew’s request – with a rousing rendition of ‘What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor?’ from the Wailers.

While the RNLI is the main focus of the Wailers’ fundraising, they also support a number of other local causes; earlier this week they also presented £1,000 to Herons Dale Primary School (a Community Special School for pupils with diverse learning difficulties and associated special needs), representing the final amount that the school needed to buy a new minibus.

The Wellington Wailers with members of the Shoreham RNLI, at the Duke of Wellington pub in Shoreham by Sea

Simon Jones, Captain of the Wellington Wailers, said: ‘It is such an honour to be able to donate to the RNLI, and to other worthy local causes, to see the money having a real impact in our local community.’

Fronted by ebullient ‘anchor man’ Mike Green, the Wailers perform at the Duke of Wellington on the Third Thursday of every month, but you can also see them at various events and venues throughout the year, from more formal engagements at St Mary de Haura Church and the Ropetackle Arts Centre in Shoreham, to pub gigs and parties, fêtes, festivals, and fundraisers across Sussex and further afield.

For more information about the Wailers, see www.thewellingtonwailers.com.

Nautical but nice: Shoreham shanty group donates £2,400 to the RNLI