02/10/2026
With the news that Portree was to have its own Lifeboat Station, it was decided that a dedicated fundraising team would be needed to support the new service. The Portree Ladies' Lifeboat Guild was officially formed on 27 September 1990 at a meeting held in the Red Cross Centre.
Their very first event was a Tattie and Herring Evening, and what a start it was. In their first year alone, the Guild raised the remarkable sum of £11,140.77 for the RNLI, setting the tone for decades of enthusiastic local support.
Now known as Lifeboat Fundraisers (Skye and Raasay), the group continues to play a vital role in supporting the station. Their biggest annual event is the much-loved Portree RNLI Open Day, held each August. Featuring stalls, souvenirs, the famous RNLI barbecue, displays and activities, it attracts visitors from across the area. One of the highlights is the opportunity to step aboard the station lifeboat, meet the volunteer crew and learn more about the work of the RNLI.
Over the years, the dedication of the crew, fundraisers and management team has been recognised by the RNLI through awards presented at the Annual Conference in Perth. Pictured below are Ewen Grant, Sandy Gray, Judith Vaughn-Sharp, Ann Urquhart, Jean Hosking, Norman Maclean and John Cameron following the conference, where Ann, Judith, Ewen and Norman received awards in recognition of their outstanding service and commitment to the charity.
Community fundraising has always been at the heart of the RNLI's success in Portree. During the 1990s, Friday night dances were among the most popular fundraising events for local causes. Organising one involved obtaining licences, booking halls and bands and, of course, ordering refreshments, often on a sale-or-return basis. The drinks invoice for the RNLI Christmas Dance in 1996 provides a glimpse into the practical side of organising these memorable evenings.
Support has also come from communities far beyond Portree. Local groups regularly held events in aid of the RNLI, helping to fund lifesaving work around the coast. One such example is shown in the photograph below, where Portree Fundraisers member Chris Moore receives a cheque for £1,060 from Alfie Edwards and David Seel of the Applecross Boat Pull Team on 23 October 1998. The team's fundraising efforts, carried out across the Highlands and Islands, raised significant sums for the RNLI, Chas and Highland Hospice over many years and demonstrated the extraordinary generosity and community spirit that continues to support the charity today.
