MORE than £4,000 was raised towards a new Minehead lifeboat by Watchet’s first-ever Sea Festival held over the bank holiday weekend, leaving the organisers “absolutely thrilled”.

The festival was the brainchild of Watchet resident Hilary Hawkins, who said the festival was specifically to raise funds for a new £52,000 D-class inflatable lifeboat to replace the current ten-year-old craft.

During the festival, cheques totalling £2,000 were handed over to push Minehead lifeboat station’s appeal closer to its target.

Watchet Boat Owners’ Association chairman Martin Stevens handed £1,000 to senior helmsman Richard Gay.

And Bruce Scott, from Watchet Boat Museum, presented a similar amount – half of the proceeds from the sale of a 15ft Watchet flatner built by retired naval architect Gilbert Mayes and presented to the museum for use in fund-raising.

More pictures and reports in the Free Press.