Widower leaves £1m for lifeboats

Mr Brown, and his wife Molly, supported the work of the RNLI

A Scots widower who was once rescued by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has left £1m to the charity.

Hugh Brown, 78, originally from Pittenweem in Fife, passed away in February this year.

He and his wife, Molly, 76, had lived most of the lives abroad but retired to Kinghorn in Fife in 1985.

The RNLI has allocated most of the legacy to projects across Scotland, including maintenance and crew training for the Islay lifeboat.

Mr Brown, a retired banker, left his entire estate to the charity.

He and his wife, who was from Islay and died in 2006, were sailing enthusiasts and owned boats at homes in Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok, during their years abroad.

A friend of the couple Charles Ritchie, 59, told how Mr Brown would regularly sail in the Firth of Forth with a neighbour.

We are truly grateful for such generosity Linda Aitken RNLI legacy manager

But twice the engine in their small cabin cruiser cut out leaving them stranded.

He said: "RNLI staff then rescued them before they were swept to sea and brought them safely back to Kinghorn.

"Hugh never forgot this act of kindness."

The Browns had supported the work of the RNLI and had previously donated £20,000, which funded a new lifeboat trailer based in Kinghorn.

Linda Aitken, legacy manager for the RNLI in Scotland, said: "We were stunned when we heard how much Mr and Mrs Brown had left the RNLI and we are truly grateful for such generosity."

The bulk of the couple's fortune was made up of stocks and shares, as well as the sale of their Fife property.