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RNLI 120-year-old collection box from Cornwall restored to use

RNLI/Penlee Collection box prior to restoration in crateRNLI/Penlee
The collection box is believed to have helped raise funds for the RNLI in Penzance in the 1900s
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An RNLI collection box from the early 1900s is to help gather donations for the lifeboat charity 120 years later.

The box was restored by BBC One show The Repair Shop after a lifeboat enthusiast saw it go up for auction.

The RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) secured the object for £100 after discovering it appeared in The Rain It Raineth Every Day, an 1899 painting by Norman Garstin.

Volunteers Elaine Bawden and Martin Brockman said they were "thrilled".

The fundraising box was first brought to the attention of the RNLI in September 2018 by a member of the public, Martin Whittaker.

Ms Bawden, who is a press officer for the charity, said: "Having researched the collection box it soon became apparent that it was a really important part of our RNLI history at Penzance."

RNLI/Penlee Volunteers Elaine Bawden and Martin Brockman with Jay Blades and Dominic Chinea behind restored collection boxRNLI/Penlee
Volunteers Elaine Bawden and Martin Brockman said it was "a very special moment" to share with presenter Jay Blades and restorer Dominic Chinea

Following their successful bid at auction, the box arrived "paint peeling off, rust showing through, and the door closed and welded shut", the charity said.

Extensive research by Ms Bawden found it appeared in the Garstin painting, which depicts the promenade between Newlyn and Penzance on a windswept day.

Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance The Rain it Raineth Every Day, 1889Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance
The Rain it Raineth Every Day, 1889 by Norman Garstin 1847 -1926. Oil on canvas, 94 x 163 cm.

"I hoped that Dom [restoration expert Dominic Chinea] would be able to restore the RNLI collection box to its former glory, just as it's seen in early photographs," she said.

Following some much-needed treatment, the box is set to be reinstated at Penlee Lifeboat Station where passers-by will once again be able to donate their money.

RNLI Heritage Manager Dave Welton said it was fantastic to welcome the object back, "continuing its life as an RNLI collection box" and raising funds to help save lives at sea.