Tim Barker, a crewmember from Tewkesbury station, and his fiancée Natalie Murphy, are on the last leg of a mammoth walk along the River Severn, to raise much-needed cash for the Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) lifeboat station at Sharpness.

The Old Dock House has been the river rescue charity's base in the south of the county since 1996, and is home to two small lifeboats, a hovercraft and the operations room for the team, who are called out 20 to 30 times per year. The building needs urgent repairs, which are essential to keep the lifesaving boats and kit in good condition.

The Grade 2 listed building, leased by SARA, sits in a prominent location, which means that it gets lashed by the weather. It is now in desperate need of repairs before the winter. Over the years, the volunteer crew members have made running repairs to it themselves, but specialist help is now needed as the repairs needed are beyond the skills of the crew.

Tim and Natalie had some time booked off work, as they were supposed to be on honeymoon. With their plans scuppered by coronavirus, on a whim they decided to hike from Kidderminster to Newport, to support colleagues in Sharpness. In just four days, they have visited every SARA station - from Wyre Forest in Kidderminster to Upton, Tewkesbury, Sharpness and Beachley, before finishing in Newport later today.

Tim said: "We did no planning or training, but we are both fit and healthy. We're supposed to be on honeymoon and didn't want to be sat at home doing nothing."

The essential repairs to the Old Dock House will cost around £25,000. So far, Tim and Natalie have raised £665, with other fundraising bringing in around £1,000.

The building needs new windows, as water is getting inside and causing damage to the station interior. Most interior walls facing the front of the building require major damp proofing and re-plastering due to damp and the exterior walls need repair. The sliding doors on the station boat storage area, and on the station garage area also require repair or replacement, and the garage area needs a new roof.

The repairs are essential to keep the crew's lifesaving boats and kit in good condition.

The Sharpness crew are called out both to people and vessels in distress in the River Severn and to support the police with other water searches across Gloucestershire. They were deployed on several callouts during the coronavirus lockdown period.

You can support Tim and Natalie's fundraising efforts at www.tinyurl.com/SARA-TandN  and follow their journey on the SARA Teweksbury Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SARATewkesbury