AFTER completing an impressive 2,500 mile voyage around the British Isles, a couple from Suffolk found themselves compelled to make a generous donation to the RNLI.

AFTER completing an impressive 2,500 mile voyage around the British Isles, a couple from Suffolk found themselves compelled to make a generous donation to the RNLI.

Malcolm and Glenda Stennett, whose boat is based at Levington Marina, said they felt “comforted” knowing that the network of dedicated volunteers would be ready to help out at any stage of their trip if they had sailed into trouble.

The couple visited Harwich Lifeboat Station yesterday, just a few miles from where they normally moor their boat, a Broom 50 called Lady Genevieve, at Levington, near Ipswich, and handed over a cheque for �3,000 to the grateful team.

Mrs Stennett, of Fornham near Bury St Edmunds, said: “We are addicted to boating - we love it. They (the RNLI) are always there when you need them. It's nice to have that in the back of your mind.”

Mr Stennett, who runs a haulage firm, said he and his wife had required the assistance of the RNLI on several occasions during more than 30 years of boating and he was keen to show his appreciation.

He said: “We had an amazing journey cruising counter-clockwise around the whole way around Britain and felt comforted that if anything should go wrong the RNLI were not far away.”

Harwich lifeboat coxswain Paul Smith said it was contributions like the one made by the Stennetts that meant the service could keep going.

He said: “The RNLI relies 100per cent on donations - we have no Government money and we don't get any National Lottery funding.

“Unfortunately, without the donations like that from Glenda and Malcolm, we wouldn't be able to do our work. We really need the Malcolm and Glendas of this world.”