A generous pensioner has donated more than £1,000 to the RNLI in memory of his mother who died six years ago.

David Rickard, 71, makes a donation to charity each year in memory of his mother, Mary Rickard, who died one day before her 95th birthday.

David, from Honiton, always chooses a charity based in Cornwall as his mother lived in the St Austell area.

Both the Cornwall Air Ambulance and the Precious Lives Appeal have benefited from his generosity in the past and this year he has chosen the RNLI.

The £1,250 donation will enable the RNLI at Padstow lifeboat station to buy three new lifejackets for volunteer crew members.

David, who does a weekly paper round for five hours every Wednesday to raise the money, said: "I'm pleased to support the work of this wonderful charity and the volunteer team at Padstow in particular."

The cheque for £1,250 was presented to Steve Conium and Michael England, deputy coxswain and mechanic of the Padstow RNLI lifeboat.

The two crew members both agreed that the gift would make a substantial contribution to raising the £5,000 needed to buy the new lifejackets.

"We need £350 for each of these new state-of-the-art lifejackets, which will provide increased safety for all sizes and shapes of volunteers with a comfortable, secure fit leading to increased efficiency and effectiveness in lifesaving."

David was also happy to see his donation go to such a good cause. "The 1981 Penlee lifeboat loss serves to remind us that the lives of the dedicated lifeboat crews who rescue thousands of people every year are at risk when undertaking rescue missions, quite often in extremely hostile weather conditions," he said.

The crew of the lifeboat are greatly anticipating the arrival of the new lifejackets, which will be a welcome addition to their inventory.

Steve Conium explained: "They are fitted with crotch straps, which prevent the lifejacket riding up over the wearer's head when in the water, and an integrated harness, designed to pull the lifejacket away from the neck allowing greater freedom of movement while rescuing people.

"There are also zipped pockets for casualty care kit, torches, gloves or knives and a spray hood designed to protect the wearer from sea spray.

"With all this in mind, we thank David very much for his kindness and generosity in making this donation in memory of his mother."