OVER £700 has now been raised for a memorial to Weymouth and Portland's Danny the dolphin - and prizes are up for grabs as part of a charity raffle.

As reported, majestic bottlenose dolphin Danny captured the hearts of locals and there was an outpouring of grief when he was sadly killed by a ship in October.

Charity Marine Connection has been collecting funds to create a memorial plaque at Portland Marina with Danny's story alongside a code of conduct to help protect solitary dolphins in future. To help fund the project, local businesses have donated prizes to a raffle, with tickets now available to buy online.

Liz Sandeman, co-founder of Marine Connection, helped provide advice on Danny's welfare, identification and tracking during his time at Portland.

She said: "The fundraising raffle is born out of the wishes of the local community to create a lasting memorial to Danny and the joy he brought, as well as furthering the charity's work to help educate water users and the general public on how to view these fascinating creatures safely, without causing them distress or creating unnatural behavioural changes.

"Local businesses have been incredibly generous in donating prizes for the raffle, thank you so so much to all concerned."

Entry into the raffle costs just one pound - prizes include:

  • Two vouchers for Dolphin Watch UK's marine life safari boat trips
  • A Spoonful of Honey cream tea gift box donated by Debs Goddard
  • A voucher for two Stand-Up Paddle board taster sessions with Adventure 4 All at Portland Marina
  • Goody bag featuring a collection of merchandise from local diving outfitters O'Three
  • Homeware goody bag from South Coast Alarms
  • A 'Sevylor Hudson' inflatable kayak
  • Danny the dolphin coasters and framed picture created by Lesley Maxwell
  • Hairdressing voucher worth £10 from Katie at Tahnee Hair Studio
  • Stained glass whale and calf window decoration donated by Sue Gledhill
  • Jurassic Jetski Tours double rider gift voucher

To be in with a chance of winning visit raffall.com/144041/enter-raffle-to-win-danny-the-dolphin-memorial-hosted-by-danny-the-dolphin

You can also donate to the fundraiser directly by visiting Marine Connection's website marineconnection.org and entering the code 'DD2020'