THE future of the Tavistock branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution is ?looking uncertain? unless a new chairman/secretary can be found.
Current branch chairman and secretary John Hooper has decided to stand down after seven years.
?I feel that I want a break and it would be good to have a new broom with fresh ideas,? he said. But he added that no-one was coming forward, so the future of the branch looked uncertain.
The branch was started by Peggy Philpott around 1954, so is due to celebrate its 50th anniversary soon.
Total funds raised by the branch during the past year were around £9,000 ? £3,000 coming from the sale of souvenirs. This is about £1,200 up on last year.
?We do very well seeing we are so far from the coast,? said Mr Hooper.
?Unfortunately, our ever-decreasing numbers are making it very difficult to support all the events we have in the past, so it is unlikely we will be able to maintain these totals in future.?
This year?s flag week will be from Monday, June 30 to Saturday, July 5 with street collections in Tavistock and Yelverton on Saturday 5.
Mr Hooper said that owing to increasing difficulty in collecting door-to-door, particularly in Tavistock, Horrabridge and Yelverton, it was only intended to carry out house collections in some of the surrounding villages.
?We have said we won?t collect door-to-door in Tavistock this year to see what difference it makes,? he said.
The branch annual meeting takes place on Tuesday, May 13 at the Royal British Legion in King Street, Tavistock, at 7.30pm.
Anyone interested in becoming involved with the branch ? whether as chairman/secretary, helping with fund-raising in general or collecting door-to-door ? is asked to contact Mr Hooper on 01822 615360.