Hartlepool fisherman raises £1,000 for charity in rod raffle
A Hartlepool fisherman and fishing rod maker has raised over £1,000 for charity.
Jay Lee raised £1,040 for the RNLI by donating a ZULCRON XT435 fishing rod and using a random number generator to allow people to buy a £10 raffle ticket.
Some people even made additional donations.
Jay acted after learning of the Hartlepool branch’s efforts to trace tragic schoolboy Matthew Sherrington after his disappearance in the North Sea.
He said: "After last year's sad event near Steetley pier, and the amazing effort the local RNLI made during the search, I thought I would raise some funds for the charity who do an amazing job.”
The rod winner was Richard Hill, from Guisborough, who said he was "delighted to win the rod and support the vital work of the charity”.
Hartlepool RNLI lifeboats operation manager Chris Hornsey said: "This was a fantastic gesture from Jay and the money raised will help support the work of the charity’s volunteer crew-members who are on call 24/7."