A BARGAIN retailer has given the St Davids Lifeboat Station Appeal a major boost.

B&M has donated £10,000 towards the appeal through carrier bags levies at its stores across south Wales. The money has helped the RNLI volunteers pass the £50,000 mark in their fundraising campaign. The current total now stands at £53,733 – over a third of the way towards the £150,000 target.

The project includes a new lifeboat station and slipway for the Tamar class lifeboat RNLB Norah Wortley, with additional space to accommodate the smaller D-class inshore lifeboat. The boathouse will include modern facilities including a drying room for kit and better provision for crew training and equipment maintenance. There will be better access to the new station which is important for the delivery of equipment and, more importantly, for the evacuation of any casualties.

B&M south Wales Area Manager Paul Mcgleish said: "B&M stores in South Wales are absolutely delighted to support the appeal for the new Lifeboat Station in St Davids. Our employees from across South Wales believe it’s important to contribute towards the new boathouse appeal so that we can help towards providing the new facilities for the crew.”

Dai John, coxswain at St Davids RNLI says that the support shown towards the crew since launching the appeal last summer has been overwhelming. He said: “Like all lifeboat crews across the coast we are very fortunate to have the continuous support of our local community; but since launching the boathouse appeal the support shown both locally and from far and wide has been phenomenal. From people taking on physical challenges to musical evenings, the events and fundraising challenges haven’t stopped!”

The next fundraising event will be a coffee morning at St Davids City Hall on Saturday, February 14. The king himself will be supporting the volunteers next month as Elvis Preseli joins Mike Chant and other bands at City Hall on Saturday, March 14. To round off the fun-filled weekend, supporters are invited to join St Davids RNLI Branch for a St Patricks Day Lunch at Bwthyn y Bwyd on Sunday, March 15.