Kif Wood’s Perranuthnoe guitar raffle raises £2,500

One handmade guitar, one packed café garden above the beach, and £2,500 split between two emergency services that Cornwall relies on every day. Local luthier Kif Wood has done it again.

A guitar built to be won

The guitar itself was the draw, quite literally. Crafted from pale moon ebony, its wood grain streaked through with pale, flame-like patterns, it was raffled off at The Cabin in Perranuthnoe, with every ticket sold going toward Penlee RNLI at Newlyn and Cornwall Air Ambulance.

Kif thanked The Cabin for hosting the event and everyone who bought a ticket. He also praised the band Maximum Gain for their performance on the night, and singled out guitarist Steve for showing off the instrument’s internal pickup system to the crowd.

Split between sea and sky

The raffle raised £2,500 in total, with £1,250 going to each cause. For Penlee RNLI at Newlyn, it’s money that goes straight toward supporting the volunteer crews who launch into Mount’s Bay whenever they’re needed. For Cornwall Air Ambulance, it helps keep a helicopter that receives no government funding in the air.

Coxswain Patch Harvey said donations from guitar auctions “are not uncommon now” as Kif has raised funds for the station this way before. Patch thanked him for the latest donation, which will support Penlee’s volunteers in their efforts to save lives at sea.

The winning ticket

This particular guitar found its way to a local winner, Kerra Jelbert, who took the instrument home once the raffle closed.

It’s not the first time Kif’s craftsmanship has gone under the hammer for a good cause, and on this evidence, it won’t be the last.