Seaton, Beer and District Branch of the RNLI raised more than �50,000 to help keep the vital service afloat

LIFEBOAT supporters in East Devon are celebrating a bumper year for fund raising.

Members of Seaton, Beer and District Branch of the RNLI will be congratulated for raising more than �50,000 in 2011, when they hold their annual meeting next month.

The gathering, on Tuesday. March 6, at 7.30pm in the function room at the Dolphin Hotel, Beer, will hear that a record �39.000.83 was raised in souvenir sales along with a further �11.534.40 from branch events, donations and collection boxes.

Now more volunteers are being sought to join the sales crew from April to October at thesouvenir kiosk at Jubilee Gardens, Beer, and to help man the stall at events across the area.

Secretary Wendy Cummins said: “A warm welcome awaits anyone wishing to join us with our 2012 fundraising programme or join our committee that includes a vacancy for an assistant secretary. Volunteers should please come to our annual general meeting or telephone 01297 23040 for our branch information letter and application form.

The branch area covers Seaton, Axmouth, Musbury, Whitford, Colyford, Colyton, Branscombe and Beer.

* Last week Mrs Cummins presented a certificate of thanks to the manager of Seaton Tesco, Ian Dyer, following the branch collection there in December when they collected �355.38.