LOCAL dignitaries gathered at The Old Coach House in Fishguard on Friday afternoon (January 10) for a cheque presentation.

The Heritage Lottery Fund awarded £7,800 to the Charterhouse Returns organisation, following a successful application under its Sharing Heritage programme.

The Charterhouse was Wales' first motorised lifeboat in 1909. She hit the national news in 1921 for a daring rescue involving a Dutch vessel, but was taken out of service and sold 10 years later.

She became part of Fishguard’s forgotten history, until two local men, Phil Davies and Phil Rees, started looking for her. They eventually tracked her down in North Wales, where the Lomas family agreed to give her back to Fishguard and Goodwick, selling her for just £1 in 2009.

Since then local campaigners, assisted by teams of volunteers and local schoolchildren, have been working tirelessly to return her to her former glory.

The restored lifeboat is central to Conygar’s plans for the new marina at Fishguard, where it will have pride of place in a maritime museum.

Speaking at the cheque presentation, the chairman of the Charterhouse Returns committee, Richard Davies said: “The money will be used for educational purposes. We hope to go around the schools and organisations presenting information about the Charterhouse.”

Ted Sangster from the Heritage Lottery Fund said: “The application that was made for funding was of an extremely high quality. It came very highly recommended by officers, and it was a very easy decision to make.

“The Charterhouse is something of real value that provides real benefits to the community.”

Preseli Pembrokeshire MP Stephen Crabb added: “At the end of a week where we’ve been reminded again about the force and power of the weather, we remarkably think about the Charterhouse saving lives off the coast of Pembrokeshire 100 years ago.

“People in Fishguard have got a very close relationship with the sea and it’s a testimony to their hard work that the Charterhouse is now back being restored in Fishguard.”