SHOPPERS at Tesco Extra showed their generous spirit earlier this month, helping the Salisbury, Wilton & District branch of the RNLI raise an impressive £1,879.

This year’s annual two-day fundraiser, which saw volunteers stationed at the Southampton Road store welcoming donations from customers, surpassed previous efforts.

Vice-chair of the RNLI branch Jeff Sutherland-Kay said: “We hold a collection at Tesco Extra every year with the kind support of the manager and staff there.

“We couldn’t put on a successful event like this, though, without local volunteers to help receive cash and take card payments.

“The two-day collection broke our record, with a very generous £1,879.97 donated by Tesco customers.

“We are always on the lookout for more volunteers who can give the RNLI a couple of hours every two or three months and they can reach us by email on rnliSalisburyWilton@gmail.com.”

The RNLI saves lives at sea and is funded by voluntary contributions, with around 26% coming from fundraising activities like this one.

It operates 238 lifeboat stations nationwide, with a fleet of 451 lifeboats and hovercraft crewed by more than 7,800 volunteers.