AROUND 15,000 people braved Bank Holiday Monday downpours to help raise cash on Hoylake Lifeboat Day.

A planned show by the Flying Yakalovs air display team was sadly cancelled because of rain and low-lying cloud cover.

But back on the ground the fun went ahead as scheduled with stalls, a bouncy castles, simulator rides and a funfair on Hoylake Promenade.

Providing the musical entertainment was 60s band the Beatmasters and visitors also had a chance to try their hand at rolla- dice and win a brand new VW Polo.

Organiser Carole Jackson said: “It was a good day despite the awful weather because we have raised between £12,000 and £15,000 for the RNLI.

“The figures may be down on last year, but we had an excellent turnout.

“I don’t think it helped when the forecast said there would be seriously heavy rain. But by around midday the promenade was packed with visitors.

“We had a couple of stalls cancel, but it was hardly a washout because we raised so much money for the cause.

“It was also the last open day where the public had a chance to see the current Lifeboat Lady of Hilbre as she is being replaced with a brand new one in December.

“There were a lot of visitors who took the opportunity to go aboard the lifeboat and meet the crew.” The lifeboat station will be one of the first in the country to get a Shannon class all-weather lifeboat.

The vessel, named Edmund Hawthorn Mickelwood, is set to arrive on December 1.

Its arrival was made possible thanks to a donation from former Women’s Royal Naval Service Officer Paulette Mickelwood and is named after her father.

Coinciding with the RNLI show was Hoylake’s annual beer festival, which took place at the Parade Centre.

The community centre is currently fundraising for a lift and upstairs disabled-access toilet.