The call of SOS is not usually a welcome one – unless it stands for Share Our Supper.

Porthleven and District RNLI invited people to do just that last Friday, when a Burns Night was organised at the Harbour Inn as part of the whole RNLI’s SOS Day of fundraising.

This saw members and supporters sit down to a traditional Scottish themed evening to celebrate the life and work of poet Robert Burns.

The fundraising supper has been held in Porthleven for the last four years, but this was the first time it had fallen on the poet’s actual birth date, January 25.

Jean Howard, from Porthleven and District RNLI, said: “We had a very good Burns Night. There were fewer people this year, for various reasons, but for those of us that were there it went very well and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.”

A starter was followed by the haggis being piped in by David Gallie of RNAS Culdrose, carried aloft by chef Brian Jones.

Peter Boyd, husband of one of the committee members, then addressed the haggis with Burns’ poem Ode to a Haggis, before ‘slaying’ it with a knife as is traditional.

“He does a lovely job and although he doesn’t have a Scottish accent he does a marvellous one for this – he really is very good at it,” said Jean.

The supper made £250 profit after expenses were taken, raised through the profit made from the meal, a raffle and quiz.

All guests were told to wear a piece of tartan, whether that was a ribbon attached to their outfit or full Scottish dress. Those that did not comply – and there were a few – were forced to pay a fine towards the final fundraising total.

The money will go to the Penlee Lifeboat based at Mount’s Bay, to help with the running of the station.

It seems the popularity for the evening continues, with Jean adding: “We had been wondering whether to have it again next year or think up something else, but we have been asked to hold it so I expect we will.”