RNLI supporters had their bicycles stolen soon after they set off on a ride to raise money for the charity that saves lives at sea on 3 May.
Malcolm and Jan Craven wanted to support the work of Hunstanton RNLI, where their son Andrew, daughter-in-law Kate and sister-in-law Joy are all among the the volunteers.
They set off From Felixstowe in Suffolk, with fellow cyclist Julie Wright and support driver Andy Brown, planning to ride the 315 miles along an ancient Hanseatic trading route to Beverley in East Yorkshire.
The four friends from Spalding in Lincolnshire set themselves a £500 target for their seven-day spell in the saddle.
But after making an overnight stop at a hotel in Lowestoft on Friday 3 May, they woke the following morning to find Malcolm and Jan's bikes, which were worth thousands, had been stolen.
'We were doing fine until we got our bikes pinched on the first night,' said hotelier Malcolm, 72.
'It was a bit upsetting, they bolt-cropped the cable to steal them, we think it was opportunist. They also broke into a golf course next door.'
Malcolm added instead of continuing their ride around the coast through Norfolk the following day, the Cravens had to return home to collect replacement bikes and write off 50 miles from their ride to make up for lost time.
But by Bank Holiday Monday, they were back on schedule, arriving at Hunstanton RNLI after being met by fellow Craven family members who volunteer at the Norfolk station, who escorted them on the final few miles.
Andrew, Malcolm and Jan's son, is a member of both lifeboat and hovercraft crews, while his wife Kate is the station's water safety officer and also leads its visits team.
Kate's mum Joy Roberts also volunteers at the station's souvenir shop.
Paul Stuart, one of the deputy launch authorities at Hunstanton, was on hand to greet them along with station mascot Stormy Stan.
'It's absolutely brilliant that they've kept going despite what's happened,' he said.
'It's not the first time they've done something for us, we're so grateful for their efforts.'
Back in 2017, the four friends raised £7,500 towards the RNLI's lifesaving work by riding from Land's End to John O'Groats.
Their JustGiving page can be found
here.
Notes to editor
Hunstanton RNLI operates a fast inshore lifeboat, Spirit of West Norfolk and is one of just four to also operate a search and rescue hovercraft,
Hunstanton Flyer.
Like more than 200 stations around the coast of the UK and Ireland, Its crew's lifesaving work is funded entirely by donations and legacies.
RNLI media contacts
For more information call Chris Bishop, Hunstanton RNLI volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer on 07584 147219, or, Clare Hopps, Regional Communications Manager (North and East) on 07824 518641, or the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.
