After his brother, a RAF pilot, and a friend were rescued by the RNLI, a Ponsanooth man has made a generous donation to the Falmouth branch.

At midday on Sunday, shortly after the lifeboats returned from exercise, Ben Ingall arrived at Falmouth Lifeboat Station and presented Brenda Grieve, the Falmouth Lifeboat Guild treasurer, with a cheque for £2450. 

Ben had raised over £300 himself when he took part in the Castle to Castle Swim in 2013 as part of his fitness regime following a heart attack he had experienced earlier. On hearing about it, his parent company, Cash Generator, Ben runs a franchise of the company, decided that they would make the RNLI beneficiaries of their fundraising as well and boosted the amount collected to £2,450.

Ben and his family of a wife and four children have lived in Ponsanooth for the last six years, having come originally from the Midlands.

Part of the reason for supporting the RNLI is the fact that a friend of his was rescued by the RNLI in Polzeath, and some time ago, his brother, a pilot in the RAF, was rescued whilst at sea off Norfolk.

Ben was accompanied by his son Charlie, and after the presentation they were both given a guided tour of the lifeboats by Alan Barnes, the chairman of the Falmouth Lifeboat Management Committee and a former coxswain of the lifeboat.