ONE of the biggest events in the Lyme Regis calendar returns after a two year absence this weekend.

The Lyme Regis Lifeboat Week will begin this Saturday, July 24.

Lifeboat Week has been held in the town since the early 1970s and has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for the RNLI charity. The last event in 2019 raised a record £40,000.

Last year's event had to be cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the first national lockdown.

The week of events kicks off Saturday with a model boat exhibition being available to view at the Lifeboat Station and an art exhibition displaying works of local artists on Marine Parade. The official opening ceremony of Lifeboat Week will take place at 1.30pm from the Lifeboat Station, followed by performances of sea shanties and other songs from the Marine Parade performance area. The opening day will be rounded off by a display of impressive manoeuvrability from the Lyme Regis RNLI's Atlantic 85 lifeboat and live music.

The highlights of the rest of the week will include the traditional bath rub race from Cobb Gate to the harbour on Sunday, July 25, the popular 'yard of ale' competition of Wednesday, July 28 and Thursday, July 29 will see the British Army's Red Devil's free fall parachute team 'drop in' on the event.

In addition to this, there will also be live music and other evening events throughout the week.

Ken Lavery, chairman of Lyme Regis and Charmouth Lifeboat Supporters, said: "We're delighted to be able to put on a traditional lifeboat week with many of our usual events.

"As we are all aware we are still dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic so we have taken steps to keep our volunteers and the public safe during the week. However, as most of our events are outdoors, it will be easier to maintain distancing and risk of transmission is lower.

"All we need now is for this lovely weather to continue but come rain or shine we will once again be putting on what I am sure will be a fantastic week for everyone to enjoy."

For the first time this year the programme is available to download on the App Store for iPhone users and Playstore for Android users. It is also available on the Lyme Regis Lifeboat Week website to download as a PDF, in return for a donation to the RNLI.

To keep up with the Lyme Regis Lifeboat team, follow the team on Facebook at 'Lyme Regis Lifeboat Week'.