Lifeboat teams from across the island will take part in a tug of war event this weekend to raise vital funds for the lifesaving work the RNLI do.

This Sunday, from 1pm, all five of the Isle of Man’s lifeboat station crews - Port St Mary, Port Erin, Peel, Ramsey and Douglas - will assemble at Chapel Beach, Port St Mary for the all-island tug of war.

Port St Mary fundraising branch chairman David Scott said: ’We see the beach Tug of War Trophy as an ideal opportunity for us to bring the island together to have a bit of fun on a family day out and help raise awareness for the important role the RNLI plays in helping keep our island safe.

’We hope it will become a regular event that can slot into the island’s annual calendar.’

The teams from the five volunteer RNLI lifeboat crews will be joined in a knockout competition by 11 other teams, representing some of the island’s sports clubs, organisations, companies and groups of friends who wanted to take on the challenge.

The prize for the winning team is a wooden trophy which was hand carved by Port St Mary crew member Terry Kelly back in the early 1980s for the tug of war which took place on Port St Mary’s Lifeboat Day.

This sparked the idea to resurrect the tug of war and make it an RNLI event for the whole island.

There will be stalls selling cakes and RNLI souvenirs, as well as a variety of local food and drink providers, bouncy castles, face painting and the opportunity to win a voucher for Apemann Adventure Park by completing a treasure trail.

The RNLI relies solely on donations and over the last year, the charity said that funds have dropped dramatically across the UK and British Isles because of the effects of Covid-19.

l To donate to the tug of war campaign, visit the RNLI JustGiving fundraising page at: www.justgiving.com/campaign/rnli-all-island-beach-tug-of-war-21)