Musician donates profits from sales of seaside songs to Cullercoats RNLI
Tyneside-based Steven Rudd, a semi-professional musician, is donating the profits from his latest project ‘The Cullercoats Bay…of Smugglers, Shipwrecks and Lifeboats’ to Cullercoats RNLI, to enable the crew to continue their lifesaving work at sea.
Steven began work on the album in 2019, with the pandemic lockdown prompting him to research and better understand his local area.
Steven explains: 'I started researching the history of Cullercoats and found the stories fascinating and ideal subjects for song writing. My father was in the Merchant Navy and always supported the RNLI so in some way I am following in his footsteps.'
The fourteen songs cover multiple genres, from pop to folk and blues, and even a rap! They refer to many aspects of coastal life in Cullercoats, over several generations. ‘The Lovely Nelly’ tells the tale of the 1861 rescue of crew from the stricken vessel of the same name, after the villagers in Cullercoats hauled the lifeboat along the clifftops to Whitley Bay, whilst other offerings depict the legends of ghosts and smugglers from years gone by.
Steven’s music is available on CD via his social media, at: stevenrudd.bandcamp.com and on selected music and video streaming platforms.
Notes to editor
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea, with Cullercoats lifeboat station having been established in 1848. The lifeboat has launched on service a total of 33 times in 2023 to date. The crew of volunteers are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.
RNLI Media contactsFor more information, please contact Sarah Whitelaw, volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer at Cullercoats RNLI: [email protected]
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
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