More than 370 Rock Choir members gathered at The Green in Hunstanton, Norfolk, for an annual fundraiser that raised almost £1,800 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), surpassing last year's total of £1,600.
The event, now in its fourth year, saw singers from choirs across Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire come together, with the sea providing the backdrop for the afternoon performance.
Rock Choir leaders Sally Rose, Dave Easter and Emily Robinson invited the choirs to take part in the event, which has grown significantly since its first outing.
Growth from 60 to 370 performers
Speaking about the event's expansion, Sally Rose said: "The first time we did this event we had about 60 Rock Choir members performing. Now we’re in our fourth year and we had 370 Rockies."
She added: "You could feel the buzz in the air, even before we started. Everybody was so excited to be there. So many members tell us this is their favourite gig of the year."
The performance featured popular songs including Club Tropicana, I'll Be There For You, and Space Man, before closing with an encore of Sweet Child O' Mine.
Community support for the RNLI
Dave Easter, another Rock Choir leader, described the reaction from the public: "A guy came up to me after the event and said it was really uplifting to see so many people singing together. He said it was a wonderful afternoon."
He also emphasised the importance of the charity to the local area: "The RNLI is so important for the area – everyone really gets behind them."
Thanks to the generosity of supporters, the total raised for Hunstanton RNLI reached almost £1,800, beating the £1,600 raised at last year's event.
Funds to support lifesaving equipment
The volunteers at Hunstanton RNLI operate both the inshore lifeboat Spirit of West Norfolk and the search and rescue hovercraft Hunstanton Flyer from their base in Sea Lane.
Derek Greening, from Hunstanton and West Norfolk RNLI Fundraising Guild, said: "This is the fourth year running that Rock Choir has appeared, with it going from strength to strength each year."
He added: "These funds will go to ensuring that Hunstanton RNLI have all the equipment they need to continue their mission of ‘Saving Lives at Sea’. A big thank you to everyone who took part, especially all of the organisers."
