A CHEESE and wine evening held at Swanage Lifeboat Station has raised hundreds of pounds.

The long-awaited event – which was supposed to go ahead some time ago - was organised by Swanage volunteer Ted Knight, who held the exclusive evening at the Lifeboat station in June – raising a total of £450.

Over the years, Ted has visited France regularly and amassed detailed knowledge from working on vineyards - which he shared with guests during the evening.

Read more: Residents urged to take part in the Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan

Volunteer lifeboat crew member Steve Williams who attended the evening said: “It was great to be able to attend a fundraising evening for the RNLI and to be able to invite guests into our station. We had a great evening tasting an interesting selection of wines and got to catch up with friends old and new.

Read more: Teenage boy hit round the head by unknown man outside Co-op Portland

"Having Ted there to give us a personal insight to the region where the wines were sourced and the families who run the vineyards really made it a special evening. We are very grateful for Ted’s time and effort to raise so much money for the RNLI.”

Preparations are underway for Swanage Lifeboat Week that runs from August 12 – 21.