A PENARTH group has raised hundreds of pounds for the Penarth lifeboat appeal.

The Penarth Dinner Society recently handed over a cheque for £500 to the Penarth RNLI, which is - with our support - aiming to raise £52,000 to replace an existing boat.

The dinner society, which holds two dinners a year, decided to raise money for the RNLI at their autumn tripe supper.

Laurie Pavelin, chairman of Penarth RNLI, said: "The generosity of individuals and organisations in Penarth has taken us all completely by surprise since we launched the appeal earlier this year.

"It is ever more clear that the lifeboat has a place in the heart of our community, and we are so grateful to the dinner society for their generous donation."

Andy Berry, press officer of Penarth RNLI, added: "We greatly appreciate the continued support from groups and people

"We rely on the generosity of these groups and supporters, which enable our crews to help in incidents."

The funding handover was made on Tuesday last week, on what turned out to be an eventful evening for the life station crew, who were called away after receiving reports of a vessel being "lost somewhere in the Bristol Channel".

"We just had to get there as soon as possible," Mr Berry added.

"The Portishead RNLI lifeboat was launched to help.

"Fortunately it was a false alarm and no-one was hurt.

"But we are just so grateful for the generosity from groups, like Penarth Dinner Support, who make such work possible."

To donate directly to the appeal send a cheque, made payable to Penarth Lifeboat Appeal, to Penarth Lifeboat Station, The Esplanade, Penarth, CF64 3AU.

You can also donate online by visiting www.justgiving.com/fundraising/penarthlifeboatappeal1