A St Ives author is bringing the town’s best-loved Christmas tradition to the page, with three new children’s books which celebrate Santa’s arrival by lifeboat.
Written and illustrated by E L Kent, who lives in the town and is one of the organisers of St Ives in December, the Christmas In St Ives series tells the legend of Santa arriving on the Nora Stachura, the town’s own RNLI lifeboat, guided into the harbour in a trail of red light beneath St Nicholas’ Chapel.
At the heart of the series is the storybook The Legend of Santa and the St Ives Lifeboat, a magical telling of the Cornish Christmas tradition, joined by two companion colouring books: a gentle edition for little ones aged two to six, and a fine-line edition for artists aged seven and up, featuring the harbour, The Island, and the lifeboat station in glorious detail.
Every book sold supports St Ives in December, the community group behind Santa’s Arrival by Lifeboat, the lantern parade, and other festive events. Proceeds will help to sustain those activities for years to come, in a way everyone can enjoy — whether you’ve lived here all your life or you’ re visiting for the first time.
E L Kent said: “Santa coming ashore by lifeboat is the moment the whole town turns out for. I wanted to bottle that magic so children can relive it all year round — and every book sold helps keep it happening.”
The books are published via Amazon and will be available both online and in local shops, including Tide & Flame, The Post Office, and Library, in time for Christmas.
