ABERYSTWYTH RNLI Lifeboat volunteers have thanked staff at a local pub who offered crew members a free three-course Christmas meal.

The volunteer lifeboat crew said they were left “gobsmacked” after Lord Beechings pub, Alexandra Road, got in touch on Twitter to offer them the festive treat as a way of saying thank you for their service to the community.

Some of the crew members attended the dinner on Wednesday, 14 December, where a “lovely evening” was had.

Paul McCann, of Aberystwyth lifeboat, said: “We were gobsmacked when we heard.

“We volunteer because we want to serve the community and help others, so it was a really nice surprise to be recognised for what we do.

“It was a very generous Christmas gift to the crew, and really made us all feel valued within the town.

“We can’t thank the management and staff enough for a lovely evening.”

Manager of Lord Beechings, Rhys Littlejohns said: “It was nice for Lord Beechings to be able to give something back to people who are prepared to risk everything for other people.”