One of the RNLI’s oldest fundraisers celebrates her centenary today (Wednesday, May 7).

Vera Robinson MBE has been raising funds for the Redcar RNLI lifeboat station since she was 16.

Now president of the Redcar Lifeboat Ladies Guild, Vera first began collecting for the lifeboats at Redcar in 1930.

Dave Cocks from Redcar RNLI said: "‘Vera really is one of a kind. When she started raising funds, the lifeboat at Redcar was oar-powered, and we still used horses to launch the lifeboats.

"Sometimes, the womenfolk of the town would help to get the lifeboat into the sea.

"Vera has seen so many changes in lifeboats over the last 84 years, but the one thing that has remained constant is the fantastic support the ladies guild have shown to the volunteers who crew the lifeboats."

Vera was a teacher at Zetland Primary School, Redcar, and was awarded the MBE for services to teaching in 1971 and in 2001 she was granted the freedom of Redcar and Cleveland.

Mr Cocks added: "Generations of lifeboat volunteers have grown up in Redcar knowing Vera, either from school or from her fundraising efforts.

"Even now she tries to be as active as she can be. Just last month she attended the ladies guild AGM and insisted on making a speech to the meeting."

It is planned to mark her 100th birthday in Redcar’s new Civic Centre, when the Mayor of Redcar and Cleveland, Vic Jeffries, will host a special event with representatives attending from the RNLI and other organisations with which she also has links.