ONE of the biggest events in the Lyme Regis calendar looks set to return this year.

Plans are under way for the return of Lyme's Lifeboat Week in July - a major fundraiser for the RNLI.

Members of the town’s Lifeboat Supporters Group are discussing plans for a provisional programme for the week, beginning on Saturday, July 24.

Lifeboat Week has been held in the town since the early 1970s and has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for the RNLI charity. The last event in 2019 raised a record £40,000.

Last year's event had to be cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the first national lockdown.

This year, the event's organisers feel confident that any restrictions prohibiting them from putting on an event this year will be lifted by July.

Ken Lavery, chairman of the supporters group, said: “We feel we have to be optimistic and hope that restrictions will be lifted by late July.

“We are making plans to stage as many events as possible during the week, including old favourites and new activities subject to any Covid-19 restrictions which might still be in place."

The lifeboat team endured a difficult 2020, with the majority of the fundraisers it would usually rely on having to be cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The team also had to deal with an increase in callouts, with Lyme Regis Lifeboat responding to 46 emergencies in 2020, compared to 30 call-outs for the whole of 2019.

2020 became increasingly challenging for the service as Covid-19 established itself and threatened to interrupt the 24/7 lifeboat service delivered by the RNLI since 1824. Lyme Regis Lifeboat Station went into ‘lockdown’ early in the crisis - the station was closed to visitors, strict safety measures were put in place, and training - both ashore and at sea was suspended. These measures were needed to protect the crew and boat as much as possible.

To keep up with the Lyme Regis Lifeboat team, follow the team on Facebook at 'Lyme Regis Lifeboat Week'