Lucky ticket wins seahorse in RNLI raffle

Lucky ticket wins this seahorse in RNLI raffl e

Hundreds of pounds has been raised so far in a raffl e to own a seahorse.

Tobermory’s Peter Macgregor had his work cut out for him when he decided to transform a chunk of cedar into a fundraiser for the town’s lifeboat.

The seahorse stands out of the water at almost six foot, weighing about 40 kilos, and has already attracted more than 50 bids at £5 a go.

People had until noon on Sunday February

21 to visit Peter’s Justgiving page and try their luck.

‘I’ve been wanting to raise funds for the RNLI for sometime now.

‘If you live in a place like Mull you either know people who are on the lifeboat crew or someone who has needed their help at some point.

‘It’s a great cause. I’d hoped the seahorse would make about £400 but it’s already over £700, which just shows how many people want to support the RNLI right now,’ said Peter who had to cut short travels in New Zealand when the pandemic fi rst struck.

Since December, the 23-year-old, who qualifi ed as a civil engineer specialising in wood, has been carving out a lockdown career for himself as a wood sculptor. His next project is going to be a life-size selkie.

Although Peter, who plans to become a tree surgeon like his dad, has been woodturning for 15 years, it was only in lockdown that he decided to try his hand at sculpting. ‘My fi rst design was a very rough bear. My next door neighbour loved it so I gave him it. Within three of four days, people who had seen it were getting in touch so I’ve just kept doing it. ‘I’ve done a barn owl in fl ight and pet portraits - which you have to get absolutely right. It’s like drawing someone’s child. One of my next commissions is going to be a full-size selkie - that’s going to be a fun one,’ he said. Peter Macgregor with his seahorse carving in aid of Tobermory RNLI.