A WOMAN has given a substantial donation to Weymouth lifesavers in memory of her late husband.

Jennifer Martin has donated to the RNLI in Weymouth, which will be split between beach lifeguards and Weymouth Lifeboat Station.

Jennifer, who lives in West London, said her late husband Christopher – who was a regular visitor to Weymouth with his family – would have been proud to see the money go to such a worthy cause.

Christopher, a building surveyor who had a long-standing interest in the RNLI and admiration for the work of the volunteers saving lives at sea, lost his brave battle with bowel cancer in 2010. He was 59.

Jennifer said: “We are doing this to have something longer lasting in my husband’s memory and if the money saves one life then it will have been worth it.”

Jennifer, along with daughters Samantha and Victoria are all keen swimmers and Christopher, who hailed from land-locked Wiltshire, had a long running fascination with lifeboat stations and the charity’s volunteers.

The family used to take regular holidays to Weymouth, met some of the town’s lifeboat crew, made trips to the beaches and watched the boats coming in and out of the harbour.

Jennifer added: “We had a holiday house in Weymouth and holidayed all over Wales and England – there was hardly a lifeboat station we didn’t visit over the years."

“He had admiration that the volunteer crews would drop everything to launch in all weathers.”

Malcolm Wright, lifeboat operations manager at Weymouth RNLI, said: “We are honoured that Jennifer has donated money to Weymouth RNLI in memory of her late husband. The generous donation will help our volunteer crew continue to save lives at sea and we are incredibly grateful for the support.”

Alice Higgins, RNLI lifeguard supervisor, said: “Jennifer’s donation will allow the RNLI to maintain the lifeguard service based on Greenhill beach in Weymouth for a whole season, which will provide a massive boost to the safety service we provide.”

Last week Jennifer was welcomed to Aberystwyth RNLI Lifeboat Station where she also made a substantial donation.

The family’s link to Aberystwyth is through eldest daughter Samantha, who studied earth sciences and then completed a masters degree in environmental monitoring at Aberystwyth University.

Richard Griffiths, lifeboat operations manager at Aberystwyth RNLI, said: “It was wonderful to welcome Jennifer to the station and to thank her for her kind donation in person.

“The RNLI charity is separate from the Coastguard and independent from Government and 94 per cent of its income comes from donations.

“An inshore lifeboat station like ours costs around £85,000 to run annually. Each inshore lifeboat crew member’s kit costs £1,678 and their annual training costs are £1,527, so Jennifer’s donation has gone a long way toward ensuring our volunteers have the best possible training and kit for another year.”