A group of retired Girl Guides have kept their promise to ‘do their best to help other people’ by donating more than �4,000 to Exmouth’s RNLI lifeguards.

South West Trefoil Guild chairman Avril Dooley presented the cheque for �4,418 to RNLI lifeguards Aidan Glanville and Faye Burrow on Exmouth beach.

The chairman said: “I set a challenge to each county chairman to walk the waterways or coast in their area to raise funds for the RNLI lifeguards. “Everybody contributed and those who couldn’t do the walks held other fundraising events.”

Mrs Dooley said she hopes to reach her �5,000 target by the end of the year.

As the group prepared to watch a demonstration by the town’s lifeguards, they were able to see for real the work of the RNLI when Brixham coastguard requested the launch of the inshore lifeboat.

The lifeboat crew and lifeguards worked together to rescue a man with a suspected spinal injury from the beach at Rodney Bay.

Mrs Dooley said: “It really was a lovely day and to see such a professional response to an emergency too made all the fundraising worthwhile.”

Frances Warren, RNLI community fundraising manager, said: “The RNLI would like to extend a huge thank you to all South West Trefoil Guild guides who have worked so hard to raise a fantastic amount of money.

“The funds will go to good use, providing high quality training and equipment to our lifeguards around the coast.”