Dave DeBurton, of Westward Ho! Men’s Shed shares the story of the Sheds recent challenging restoration.
“We were approached by Clovelly RNLI branch Chairlady Viv Foster to undertake restoration of their vintage donation box.
The cast iron donation box was in a poor state – It had a brass plate, which was so tarnished you couldn’t read what it said. The box is mounted directly on the headland, overlooking the lifeboat station and lovely harbour, a beautiful backdrop.
For those who don’t know the terrain in Clovelly, it’s a tough walk down, then back up a cobbled street – plenty of steps walked up and down with equipment! So, four of our shed started by stripping down the removable parts. Sanding down the vintage donation box, treating rust and finally several coats of paint to make it look all shiny again.
The brass plate was a challenge to restore. Our Shedder George Lobb spent many an hour working on it. I have to say, well done George.
We just have the RNLI badges to attach with a new lock to complete the job.”
Viv Foster said “The Clovelly RNLI owe a big Thank You to the Westward Ho! Men’s Shed group for the restoration of the heritage collection box situated on the Lookout at Clovelly. This unique cast iron historic feature was unable to be moved due to its weight and size and the group managed to reinstate it to its former glory with specialist skills whilst it was in place”.
