THE BALMORAL MV sailing ship could be returning to Penarth seafront as early as May next year.

The popular coastal cruising steamer, which was last in operation in 2012, was a regular fixture at Penarth Pier in the summer months for many years before it was withdrawn from service and laid up in Bristol Inner Harbour.

The Balmoral Fund Ltd was founded in January of this year with the aim of getting the ship sailing again in 2015. The small group of volunteers have raised £207,000 towards repairs and passing tests to sail again, but are still more than £200,000 short of reaching their fundraising target and making the ship operational with a crew again.

The money is needed to set up a commercial company to run the ship, hire a captain, crew and engineer, and other costs associated with making it viable again.

Their bid has been boosted by the support of Penarth Town Council, who have lobbied for funding on their behalf and donated £1,000 towards the cause.

Councillors hope that if the ship sails again it could boost tourism in the area and be a star attraction of the Penarth Summer Festival. If the ship started sailing again it would dock at Penarth for around eight weeks of the summer each year.

Town Mayor Cllr Martin Turner presented representatives of the Balmoral Fund Ltd with £1,000 at Penarth Pier Pavilion on Tuesday afternoon.

He was joined by Penarth and Vale councillors, as well as representatives from the Penarth Pier Pavilion, to show the support of the local community.

Town Mayor Cllr Martin Turner, who represents the Plymouth ward, said following the presentation: “It’s a small donation in terms of what’s needed, but quite a large one from the council’s point of view. We are doing what we can as we want to see the Balmoral docking at Penarth once again.”

He added that having the shop sailing again would have a massive boost to the local economy, with regular sailings from Penarth’s award-winning pier in the summer months.

The Balmoral Fund Ltd group has applied for grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Coastal Community Fund and believes they could be the spring board to sailing again if they are successful.

Dave Bassett, the chairman of the Balmoral Fund Ltd, said that having the ship docking at Penarth Pier would benefit the town as it would bring people that wouldn’t normally come to south Wales. He added that Penarth would be a “key port” for the ship and it would spend around eight weeks of the summer sailing there.

Paul Doubler, a spokesman for the Balmoral Fund Ltd, said: “If we do sail we are confident MVB will be a viable ship that can earn and put aside for future running years ahead. She will be her own best revenue generator, sailing and then in winter layup as a vibrant static venue in a wonderful location in Bristol’s Inner Harbour.

He added: “We are desperate to sail again in May but it’s not going to be easy.

“We need a lot of money and we appreciate people have financial difficulties and local authorities are making budget cuts and closing libraries, but all we are asking for is a bit of help.

“We are so close now. We have a ship that has done everything asked, she can sail and with a fair wind, good tides and above all your help we can just do it.”

To donate go to http://www.heritagesteamers.co.uk/balmoral/ and click on the ‘My Donate’ facility.