WITH steelwork already in place, donations continue to roll towards the £1million-plus upgrade to Minehead’s RNLI lifeboat station.

Contractors have been on site since January preparing the foundations for a project that will enlarge and transform the 101-year-old building.

Already £600,000 has been donated with more coming in.

Minehead RNLI treasurer Liz Escott said: "Three significant individual donations to the appeal fund from people elsewhere in the country got things off to a flying start but the response locally from individuals and organisations has been amazing.

“I'm still being sent cheques for amounts of up to £1,000, often without any accompanying letter so I have no way of responding to thank the donor.

“But we should like everyone who donates to know how grateful we are."

Remodelling and enlarging the listed building will cut response times and provide improved facilities for the volunteer crew, who operate a 24-hour rescue service and respond to up to 40 emergencies a year along more than 30 miles of the Somerset and Devon coastline.

The building is being extended onto land the RNLI has bought from the council, with the ground floor extension featuring a crew changing room with showers and separate female crew changing space, dedicated mechanics’ workshop and souvenir shop.

There will be a full-length boat hall at the rear to allow the D class – normally launched through the harbour - to remain permanently hitched to its tractor, enabling the crew to shave minutes off response times.

Minehead RNLI chairman Richard Newton said: “We ask a lot from the volunteer crew in giving up their time for shouts and to attend training sessions and in its old form the boathouse really didn’t have the facilities they deserved.

"The women crew members had to get changed in a cupboard under the eaves, there were no proper showers and we didn’t even have a room big enough to hold all the crew for training sessions and routine meetings.

“Apart from shortening our response times this scheme is going to provide us with all the facilities you would expect to find in a modern RNLI lifeboat station."

Work on the project is scheduled for completion in October, with the crew operating out of two temporary buildings until then.

To support the building appeal, visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/Minehead-RNLI-Lifeboat-Station-Appeal or contact the fundraising team at Minehead RNLI via Liz Escott on 07877 952975.