THE Red Arrows will no long er grace the skies above Lyme Regis for its annual Lifeboat Week Neither the Red Arrows jets or the RAF Falcons parachute team will be thrilling the crowds at next year’s Lyme Regis Lifeboat week.

For many years the Red Arrows have performed free of charge during Lifeboat Week as a ‘thank you’ to the RNLI for its contribution to search and rescue work.

The organisers of the week, the Lyme Regis and Charmouth RNLI Guild, has learned that due of the transition of search and rescue services from the RAF to a civilian contractor, display charges will apply in future.

As usual the guild applied for a visit from the Red Arrows almost immediately after this year’s Lifeboat Week.

In their response it was stated that the current charge for the Red Arrows was £12,184 and the Falcons £2,939 and these costs were likely to rise next year.

The RNLI guild said it was unable to find sufficient funds from donations in Lifeboat Week to pay for these displays, and thanked the Red Arrows and RAF Falcons for their support over many years: A spokesperson said: "For many years we have been very fortunate with the Red Arrows and the RAF Falcons visiting the town in Lifeboat Week and supporting the RNLI charity free of charge.

"Their stunning displays have been a huge attraction to residents and visitors alike, and we know their inclusion in the programme of events has been responsible for raising many thousands of pounds for our charity.

“Regrettably, we cannot find sufficient funds from donations in Lifeboat Week to pay for these displays. The presence of these two magnificent teams will be sorely missed by thousands of people, but this year – when they could not fly because of the weather – we felt we were still able to provide plenty of family events, and donations were not severely affected.

"Our final figure for this year’s week is in the region of £25,000.

"Finally, we would like to extend our deep gratitude to the men and women of the Red Arrows and the RAF Falcons and, indeed, the Ministry of Defence, for their wonderful support for our fundraising over many years."