CEREDIGION MP Ben Lake has paid tribute to members of the Ceredigion Lifeboat Campaign following the news that New Quay’s boat is to be upgraded.

The RNLI announced last week that following a review of its initial plans to downgrade the service in New Quay in 2016, the charity has decided to upgrade the all-weather lifeboat housed at the station.

A review held earlier this year into the Cardigan Bay coastline concluded that an all-weather lifeboat between Fishguard and Barmouth was needed and a new 25 knot Shannon class lifeboat will replace the ageing 17 knot Mersey class boat currently housed in New Quay’s boathouse.

Following the news, Ceredigion MP, Ben Lake, said: “The RNLI’s announcement that the 2021 review of the Cardigan Bay coastline concluded that an all-weather lifeboat is required at New Quay is excellent news.

“I would like to pay tribute to members of the Ceredigion Lifeboat Campaign, the local lifeboat crew, and all in the community for the way in which they have contributed to both the review process and this decision. The amount of work behind the scenes is truly remarkable.

“Thank you also to the RNLI for working closely with the community over the past few years, and for acknowledging the importance of providing an all-weather support for the whole of Cardigan Bay.”

Plans to develop marinas and the coastal infrastructure in Ceredigion as a projected 30 per cent increase in aircraft operations in the bay due to investment into the military live fire range, led the RNLI to make a u-turn on its original plans.