On 18 November, Exmouth-born Rebecca Newman returned to the stage she performed her first ever solo as a child, this time as a rising star soprano. Rebecca is raising money for the charity that saves lives at sea during her Coast to Coast Tour.

Volunteers from Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton Fundraising Guild organised a bucket collection on the night. Together with a generous donation from Rebecca herself, this totalled £467.40. Money raised from both the Exmouth and Exeter concerts will be contributing towards a new launch and recovery system for the Shannon class lifeboat arriving at Exmouth RNLI towards the end of 2013. Speaking fondly of her childhood in Exmouth, Rebecca says:

‘I spent many happy summer days on Exmouth and Shelly beaches when I was growing up, so I always knew what the RNLI stood for and how it was run by volunteers.  When I moved to London with work at 21, I was surprised to find out how many people did not know the crew were volunteers or that the charity relied on the public donations to support its work. I hope to do my bit to bring awareness of the RNLI to a new audience and help inspire some fundraisers, lifeguards and crew of the future.’

Audiences were thrilled by Rebecca’s magical voice, performing masterpieces from opera, the musicals and pop. Rebecca was joined on stage by special guest, tenor Lance Vernon and the local Budleigh Salterton Male Voice Choir.

Rebecca’s debut single, accompanied by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra is available on downloadable format. This is a classical Italian version of ‘My Heart Will Go On’, (Il Mio Cuore Va) from the hit film ‘Titanic’. A percentage of sales will contribute to the RNLI.

For more information about Rebecca’s ‘Coast to Coast’ tour, please visit www.rebeccanewman.net.