Burnham on Crouch Lifeboat Station recently held a presentation party to give thanks to the supporters who made the Boating on a Budget project such a success at this years London Boat Show.

Walter Jenkins, Chairman of the Floating Boathouse Appeal received a cheque in the sum of £17,200 from David Lewin on behalf of the Marine Trades Association. This amount was raised following the raffle of ‘Barangoola’ the Hunter 19 which took pride of place next to the main stage at the Boat Show.

The Essex Lifeboat station is currently trying to raise funds towards a new Floating Boathouse to accommodate a new Atlantic 85 Lifeboat due on station in 2011.

David came up with the idea of renovating a boat on a budget of under £5,000 to show that boating does not have to be for the seriously wealthy. David Lewin, a Burnham resident, told the show: ‘I had a dream and that dream was that anybody could go boating without spending a lot of money. It just takes some dedication.’

The Marine Trades Association donated ‘Barangoola’ to the Lifeboat Station, having purchased her for £800 in a very poor condition. She had sat in a garden for four years and was full of filthy water & was covered in moss & mildew. The Crew from Burnham on Crouch Lifeboat Station provided the labour whilst donations of materials and equipment came flooding in from donors such as Yamaha, Barton Marine and Gill.

Walter thanked everyone involved in the restoration of the boat, including the sponsors and donors who had given both their goods and support of the entire project.

The total for the Floating Boathouse Appeal currently stands at just over £76,000 towards the £130,000 appeal target.