HOYLAKE lifeboat volunteers faced Hoylake Sailing Club in a charity Tug O'war that raised more than £1,200.

Hundreds of people turned out to watch the 47th annual Slater Trophy Tug O'War on Boxing Day, which raised £1201.25 for the RNLI.

The Sailing club team congratulated the winners of the coveted Slater Trophy and continued the tradition of treating them to a round of Guinness, saying they looked forward to a rematch in 364 days!

RNLI Coxswain Andy Dodd said: "I salute everyone who took part in the Tug of War.

"They had their work cut out as the sand was soaked, but they really gave it their all!

"I'm very proud of our RNLI volunteer crew and we're all hugely grateful to all those who came out on such a miserable day to support the event and help us raise such a fantastic amount for the charity."

RNLI volunteers collected donations from onlookers on the promenade who had come out to show their support for both teams on Boxing Day. A

total of £1201.25 was raised which is a record for the event. RNLI Hoylake Lifeboat Station would like to thank the local community for their generous support.

The friendly competition was established in 1972 by Arthur Slater of Hoylake Sailing Club and Hoylake RNLI Coxswain Danny Triggs.

It is now a firm festive fixture in the local community.

Since the tradition began, hundreds of spectators have gathered outside the Sailing Club to watch the two teams battle it out on the sand for the coveted Slater Trophy: a small teapot that bears the name of the winning team stretching back for nearly 50 years.

The humble trophy started life in the boardroom of Cammell Laird shipbuilders in the 1960s when the Polaris programme's Resolution-class submarines were under construction in Birkenhead.

The teapot was thrown out, dented and dull, into a McDermott's sprout box and found its way to Hoylake.

After the inaugural Tug O'War tournament in 1972, the teapot was discovered, polished and engraved with the name of the first winning team - the 'Lifeboat'.

So began nearly five decades of local competition, normally celebrated afterwards with a toast to the participants in the sailing club.

Hoylake RNLI Coxswain Andy Dodd said: "It's great that what started out as a bit of fun nearly 50 years ago has become such a meaningful event in the community's calendar."