The team at Knights Seaton Pharmacy in Hartlepool has raised more than £5,000 for a local lifeboat charity.

The team, which included Vicki Nicholson, Charlotte Reece and Steph Hrane, raised the sum for RNLI Hartlepool Lifeboat Station by collecting five pence pieces using small glass jars known as 'Bettys Pots.’

RNLI Hartlepool’s volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

The charity operates 238 lifeboat stations and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. As an independent charity, RNLI Hartlepool depends on voluntary donations and says it has saved over 142,700 lives since it was founded in 1824.

Its chairman Malcolm Cook who visited the pharmacy to present the team with an award for their fundraising efforts, described the amount as “amazing” and said the charity was “very grateful for their support for the volunteer crewmembers who are on call 24/7 to help save lives at sea.”

Ms Hrane said: “We are delighted and very proud to support the local RNLI charity and will continue to do so knowing that we are playing our part to support this vital cause.

“I would also like to thank my colleagues Pat Darby, Dannie Russell and Rhiona Beckworth for their support.”

Pictured are Hartlepool RNLI chairman Malcolm Cook with Knights Seaton Pharmacy staff members Vicki Nicholson, Charlotte Reece and Steph Hrane (Credit: RNLI/Tom Collins).