THE volunteers at Burnham RNLI will launch a special fundraising appeal next month to raise £41,000 towards the cost of a new lifeboat.

Burnham’s current D class lifeboat Puffin will come to the end of its operational life next year after giving 10 years of service since its arrival in 2006.

The lifeboat was in action only this weekend, after a report of a kitesurfer in trouble sparked a call-out.

To mark the launch of the station’s Lifeboat Fundraising Appeal on Wednesday, June 3, members of the public are invited along to Burnham lifeboat station at 7pm to meet some of the volunteer lifeboat crew and fundraising volunteers.

The crew will launch the current D class lifeboat and the station’s Atlantic 75 lifeboat Staines Whitfield on exercise, providing a demonstration for the work they do to help save lives at sea.

Matt Davies, volunteer RNLI lifeboat operations manager at Burnham, said: “This is an exciting time for all the volunteers at Burnham on Sea and a real chance for the station to show the local community what we are all about.

“I know our dedicated fundraising team already have a host of fun and interesting fundraising events lined up for the next 12 months and the volunteer crew are looking forward to getting involved and working with the local community to raise the money needed.”

Burnham RNLI currently has a 7.5m Atlantic 75 named Staines Whitfield and the smaller 4.95m D class inflatable boat named Puffin which will be retiring.

Since 2010, Burnham’s volunteer lifeboat crew have launched 88 times and assisted 53 people in trouble at sea.

The event will take place at RNLI Burnham Lifeboat Station in Pier Street on Wednesday, June 3, from 7pm.