20-year old Josh Denning has received ITV News West Country’s Pride of Britain Fundraiser of the Year award. 

There were celebrations at Lyme Regis RNLI lifeboat station as well as visits from the RNLI-911 Challenge team and local chef and food writer Gill Meller.

Josh Denning (20) has been a stalwart supporter of the RNLI and other local charities since he was a child, and every year tops the list of volunteer collectors through his expert use of the collection bucket. 

 Josh has personally collected over £50,000 for the RNLI and other charities. ITV West Country News covered Josh being presented with his award on its Friday (20 September) evening bulletin.

On Saturday morning (21 September) volunteer RNLI crew welcomed the RNLI-911 Challenge team onto the lifeboat slipway. James and Belinda Richardson are driving their Porsche 911 for 8500 miles around the UK and Ireland to visit all 238 lifeboat stations and raise funds.

At lunchtime on Saturday local chef and food writer Gill Meller set up a barbecue outside the lifeboat station to cook and sell delicious fresh fish burgers in aid of the RNLI. Gill was raising awareness of local produce and how good it tastes when cooked naturally in the open air. He has generously donated all the proceeds from this event to the charity which saves lives at sea.

Lyme Regis and Charmouth RNLI supporters group chair Ken Lavery said: ‘We are delighted and proud that our star collector Josh Denning has received such a prestigious award. He really deserves it for the hard work he has done for the RNLI and for other charities.’

"As fundraisers we are always looking for ways of raising the funds the RNLI needs to continue it lifesaving work 24/7 and 365 days a year. To that end we are also delighted Gill Meller supported us by selling his excellent fresh fish burgers and that James and Belinda Richardson were able to stop off at Lyme Regis RNLI on their tour visiting all the RNLI’s 238 lifeboat stations in this its 200th anniversary year."