THOUSANDS of pounds were raised for a key local charity during this year’s Pommery Dorset Seafood Festival.

The popular festival, which attracted more than 50,000 people to Weymouth Harbour over the weekend of July 11 and 12, raised £8,000 for the nominated charity, the Fishermen’s Mission.

The charity, which was first launched 130 years ago and has a base in Weymouth, reaches out to both active and retired fishermen to help provide practical and financial support.

It also offers help to families of fishermen if they are lost at sea, and can also act as a vital emergency response service if fishermen find themselves in difficulty on the water.

Organisers of the seafood festival, which was being held in the town for the eighth year in a row, decided to nominate Mission as their charity to say thanks to the fishermen who help bring in the seafood that is adored by members of the public.

The charity also generated thousands of pounds through the sale of cook books, the sale of festival raffle tickets and Albert the Fisherman Merchandise.

Weymouth Community Volunteers also held bucket collections throughout the festival, which raised some vital funds for the charity.

Chris Hirst, corporate fundraising manager for the Fishermen’s Mission, thanked the festival for the donation when he received the cheque from the organisers.

Mr Hirst said: “We’re grateful to the Pommery Dorset Seafood Festival for continuing to support the Fishermen’s Mission. This year's event saw the introduction of new attractions including the pop-up restaurant which further celebrated seafood.

“We were also pleased to welcome Weymouth’s own Fishermen’s Mission Port Officer Supt. Neil Robbins who joined the Fishermen’s Mission team at the start of the summer to his first festival as a member of the team.”

It is another piece of good news for the festival, which enjoyed a successful year despite bad weather blighting the festival.

On the Saturday, 500 people were arriving every 30 minutes into the town by trains as they flocked to the harbourside to enjoy the variety of seafood delights on offer and soak up the summer sun.

But on the Sunday the weather took a turn for the worse, though it could not stop the hardy seafood enthusiasts descending on the town.

A provisional date of July 9 and 10 has been pencilled in for next year, with the ever-popular festival set to return to Weymouth harbourside.