AN ARMED forces parachute team will drop in during this year's Lyme Regis Lifeboat Week.

The Red Devils, the official parachute display team of the British Army, have confirmed it will freefall into the town at part of the bill at this year's event. The fundraising week starts on Saturday, July 22, and the Red Devils will be taking to the sky over Lyme Regis on Tuesday, July 25. The exact time of the performance is yet to be confirmed.

The Red Devils, based at Netheravon Airfield on Salisbury Plain, is a team of 15, all of who have seen active service in the Falklands, Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan or Iraq.

The parachutists are widely acknowledged as among the best display team in the world, and every year carry out shows at public events worldwide promoting the British Army and the Parachute Regiment, known as ‘The Paras’.

A classic Red Devils display will see up to 10 team members jumping from an altitude of 10,000ft. Trailing smoke to demonstrate their speed and movement, the skydivers will freefall at speeds up to 120mph before opening their parachutes. Then they will demonstrate high-speed ‘swoop’ landings and ‘canopy formations’, both unique to parachute displays in the UK.

A commentary will keep everyone informed throughout the event, and the skydivers will be available afterwards to meet spectators.

Irene Roper, chairman of the organisers of Lifeboat Week, the Lyme Regis and Charmouth RNLI Guild, said: "We are absolutely delighted that the Red Devils are coming to support our charity.

"They will be a big attraction in the middle of our fund-raising week.”

Plans for other events during the week are well under way.The fireworks display is scheduled to take place on Friday July 28 at 10pm and the popular Three Counties Swing Band will perform on the same evening.

Another band back by popular demand, Bad Dog No Biscuit, will be on stage on Sunday, July 23 at 7pm.

A new event which will take place this year is a water polo match between the RNLI lifeguards and the lifeboat crew at 7.30pm on Tuesday, July 25. The bathtub race is scheduled for 8pm on Saturday, July 22.

The official programme for Lifeboat Week should be on sale at the RNLI shop and around the town from mid-June.