May has been another active month for the club with a real mix of things going on. An outside visit took us to the Anstruther premises of Brian Swankie (http://www.brianswankie.co.uk), where the creation of hand-made furniture and kitchens sits next door to the restoration of classic Lotus sports cars. It was clear that the wonderfully equipped workshops enable Brian and his team to deliver the very highest quality products. Very different skills but the same dedication to quality were also evident in the car workshops. It was interesting to see there an almost derelict ‘barn find’ in need of serious attention, resting close by a superbly renovated and restored machine. What was very clear is that classic Lotus car restoration is an art form that should only be entrusted to a skilled craftsman. We saw something of the specialist treatment needed for each component from body and coachwork through to engine, chassis and running gear.
A totally different, eye-opening and very useful talk was provided by Crime Prevention Officer, Fraser Laird. Constable Laird took as his topic credit card fraud – and the ways in which criminal gangs use both simple and sophisticated devices to defraud users of cash dispensing machines. We heard of ‘The Claw’ the ‘Glue Trap’ and the ‘Lebanese Loop’ - all designed to intercept cash as it is being dispensed. More dramatic was an approach, which apparently employs a gas canister to pump inflammable gas into a cash machine - before igniting it to blow off the front!
More concerning though was the sophistication of miniaturised cameras and scanners attached (unnoticeably) to capture card information for subsequent use. And even more worrying the use of advanced technology to remotely capture personal information from ‘contactless’ cards. Much valuable advice was offered about commonsense precautions that can be taken to protect oneself from a type of crime that netted some £400 million last year across the UK.
Mid month and the club’s major fund-raising event took place. With almost 140 walkers registered, fine weather and a following wind, Sunday May 15th proved to be an excellent day for the 7th Coastal Path Charity Walk. As in previous years registration and finish were in the beautiful and historic Royal Burgh of Crail, with free transport to the walk start points of either Earlsferry or Anstruther. All money raised is donated to registered charities – since 2010 when the Walk started, a fantastic £78,140 has been raised for a great range of local, national and international charities. This 2016 walk will add to that total – and benefit a new group of charities too.
An outstanding illustrated talk by Mr Roger Grundy brought the month to a close. A volunteer lifeboat man with the RNLI, Roger vividly described the 150-year history of Anstruther Lifeboat Station (1865 – 2015). By way of introduction we learned that Anstruther is one of 230 stations around Britain’s coast, supported in total by 4500 crew members and costing £410,000 per day to run. An indication of the esteem in which the RNLI is held is that this money is all donated – the RNLI is a charity, independent of government support.
A treasure trove of photographs film and video told Anstruther’s story; from open boats rowed by the crew, to today’s powerful inshore and self-righting all-weather boats. It was particularly interesting to hear of the current major project to restore the ‘James & Mary Walker’ lifeboat – Anstruther’s first motor powered boat - rescued in derelict condition from Beaumaris in Anglesey.
A fascinating story, but in the end it is clear that, despite modern technology and boats, the dangers of sea and weather remain. More about Anstruther RNLI is at (www.anstrutherlifeboat.org)
