A FOLK festival which has been raising money for the RNLI for more than 30 years has announced it will no longer support the charity following the sacking of two Whitby lifeboat volunteers.

Robin Hood’s Bay Folk Weekend, which took place from Friday, June 8 to Sunday, June 10, has been raising money for the local RNLI branches as long as the festival has been running, and this year raised £1,445 – a record figure and £245 up on last year.

But organisers said that following the dismissal of two Whitby lifeboatmen Joe Winspear and Ben Laws, there had been an outcry from musicians involved in the festival over the treatment of the volunteers and it had been decided that next year a new charity would be selected.

Organiser Jim Foster said: “The weekend was excellent, one of the best we have had. Everybody enjoyed it and I think that was reflected in the fantastic sum of money we raised.

“It is a free weekend which sees all the singers and musicians go around all the pubs and cafes to perform.

“However this year, now that both sides of the argument in the Whitby Lifeboat ‘mugs’ disciplinary case are known, there has been an outcry from musicians about the way RNLI management have handled the issue.

“They feel the crewmen involved have not been treated with the dignity and respect they deserve as volunteers, and that the draconian management style adopted by the RNLI has resulted in massive damage to the charity and its supporters.

“They feel so badly let down after all their efforts at the Bay Folk Weekend that they have withdrawn their longstanding support of the RNLI, and are looking to support another charity next year.”

A spokeswoman for RNLI said: "Following a fair and robust investigation and appeal process, we upheld our decision to stand down two crew members from Whitby RNLI.

"The volunteer crew at Whitby are working closely with the RNLI to operate an effective lifesaving operation at Whitby lifeboat station.

"We are very grateful to all those who continue to fundraise and support us. We would ask the local community to continue to support us, in what has been a challenging time, as we remain dedicated to saving lives."