Santa will be returning by lifeboat tomorrow evening, but it nearly didn’t happen, as the new St Ives Local podcast recalls.
The podcast guest is Liz Deakin, who has taken over running St Ives in December. She enjoyed the spectacle from The Balcony last year, but was told by a member of staff, who also happens to be on the lifeboat crew, that it would be the last time the event would be staged.
Liz thought: “We can’t lose that tradition. It’s so unusual. I know it’s not unique — there are one or two other RNLI stations that do a similar thing — but it is very much part of the fabric of St Ives… Santa arriving by lifeboat is a real highlight.”
A taxi ride with driver and long-serving lifeboatman John Chard confirmed the bad news, and he encourged Liz when she expressed interest in trying to keep the tradition going.
Liz discovered from the previous organisers that the event had become a big difficult task for them, partly because the individuals concerned were involved in many other local good causes and charities, but also because nobody was coming forward to volunteer, and, most importantly, there was no funding.
It costs around £4,500 to stage Santa’s arrival. The RNLI do not charge, but there are a number of big costs, such as insurance, road closures, and safety measures.
But, as the podcast reveals, what seemed like an impossible task had a happy ending, as we’ll all see tomorrow.
“How quiet would it have been to not have that as the gateway to the Christmas festivities that we all enjoy?” said Liz.
Listen to the podcast on Apple or Spotify.
