A fundraising plea has been made by Exmouth’s volunteer lifesavers to plug the gap left by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus and related lockdown regulations had a major effect on the receipts coming into Exmouth RNLI during 2020, with the overall fundraising branch surplus falling by around 70 per cent over the previous year.

Donations from individuals, groups, businesses, in memoriam donations etc., made to the local lifesaving charity have reduced noticeably as well as collection box income.

Scheduled public street collections did not take place due to the withdrawal of permits last year and the charity was unable to undertake any of their scheduled fundraising events.

Chair of the Exmouth RNLI Fundraising Committee, Des White, said: “All of us are facing unprecedented times and we have seen a huge impact on our volunteers’ ability to fundraise locally and it’s having a serious impact on our finances.”

Anyone wishing to help raise funds or make a donation may do so by emailing fundchair@exmouthlifeboat.org.uk