New Archers brew supports work of RNLI

February 3, 2006: A new Archers beer will commemorate an heroic nautical rescue and raise funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

Spirit of the Sea (4.4%) honours Grace Darling, daughter of the Longhouse lighthouse keeper, who, in 1838, helped her father pull off the rescue of passengers from the SS Forfarshire, which had gone aground on rocks off the Farne Island.

Rowing out to the wreck in mountainous seas with her father, 22-year-old Grace became a heroine when she helped rescue nine survivors clinging to the rocks. The RNLI have since named one of their lifeboats the Grace Darling in her honour.

"The RNLI do a fantastic job, brave men and women risking their own lives to save others all around the country, and Archers are proud to be supporting such a worthy cause and will be making a donation to the RNLI for every pint of Spirit of the Sea sold in March," said a spokesperson for the brewery.