THE £2.7 million appeal for the new St Helier lifeboat has reached its target thanks to a charitable donation of over £550,000 in memory of a former Jersey resident and benefactor.

The state-of-the-art lifeboat, which is due to arrive in the Island in April, will be named the George Sullivan after the late Major George Langford Sullivan, MBE, who was awarded the Military Cross while serving in the army with the 14th/20th Hussars. He moved from Ireland to live in Jersey in the 1950s, supported charities all his life, and died in 2005.

Yesterday charity trustees representing the late Major Sullivan handed over a cheque for over £550,000 to lifeboat coxswain Andy Hibbs – a gesture which has been warmly welcomed by appeal chairman Jurat Roy Bullen, as well as the appeals committee and the lifeboat crew.

Jurat Bullen, the former Harbourmaster, said that thanks to the donation the appeal target had now been met. He said it was heartening to know that all the money raised for the new lifeboat had come from within the Island.

• Picture: Appeal chairman Jurat Roy Bullen (third from left) with engineer Jonathan Cornick, lifeboat operations manager Bob Vezier and second cox Tim Gavey (00610289)