Four-page Lifeboat Week special inside
LIFEBOAT WEEK PHOTO SPECIAL! PA
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LYME WELCOMES FRIENDS FRO M BERMUDA PAGE 18
Boycie opens Lifeboat Week Pre-school to remain open
ST Michael’s Pre-School in Lyme Regis has been saved from immediate closure. Parents were told at the end of term that the pre-school – managed by St Michael’s Primary School in King’s Way – would close down on Tuesday, July 23 having run at a deficit since first opening and with a predicted shortfall of £20,000 for the current financial year. However, St Michael’s headteacher Nick Kiddle and chairman of the school governors, Michaela Ellis, have now informed parents that they are revoking the intention to close the pre-school immediately and that there will be provision for children at the start of the new term in September. REPORT, PAGE 3
Litter sculptures installed on beach
ACTOR John Challis - best known as Boycie from beloved sitcom ‘Only Fools and Horses’ - is pictured with volunteers from Lyme Regis lifeboat crew, on the new balcony outside the harbourmaster’s office, having officially opened Lifeboat Week on Saturday. Mr Challis drew in the crowds as he opened the week of fundraising events for the RNLI, and later signed books, autographs and met fans. See pages 10-13 for full Lifeboat Week coverage. Photo by Richard Horobin
Church granted £40k
COUNCIL CRITICISED AFTER INCREASING TOWER DONATION
LYME Regis Town Council has agreed to increase its grant to the parish church’s tower appeal from £25,000 to £40,000.
The bell and clock tower at St Michael’s Parish Church is currently suffering from water ingress, causing damage inside the historic building, and a full refurbishment is expected to cost about £150,000. Damage has become noticeable
FRANCESCA EVANS
francesca@lyme-online.co.uk from the inside of the church, with plaster falling from the walls of the baptistry, resulting in the main entrance being closed to the public. The church has raised £80,000 through special events, donations, grants and from its reserves, but it requires 80 per cent of the total cost before work can begin. A grant request from the church
was recently considered by the town council’s Strategy & Finance Committee, when it was agreed to donate £25,000 towards the project, but when the recommendation was put forward for final approval from full council last week, members agreed to up the grant to £40,000. The decision to increase the grant came after Tim Bacon, from St Michael’s Parochial Church Council, emphasised the urgency of the
repair work during the public forum. Mr Bacon said the church – the only grade I listed building in the town, with the Cobb being classed as a structure – had been “central to the life of Lyme Regis for nearly 1,000 years”. He explained that the church’s architect inspected the building every five years and had recommended urgent repairs to the tower render-
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GIANT sculptures of takeaway packaging have become a talking point in the town after being erected on Lyme Regis beach this week. The sculptures, depicting a giant takeaway box, plastic drinks bottle and cutlery, have been temporarily installed on the shingle beach at Cobb Gate. It is hoped they will encourage people to think about the effect of plastic waste and to take their litter home with them. REPORT, PAGE 3
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