A Newtown man made a remarkable gesture by leaving £300,000 in his will to help lifeboat volunteers save lives at sea.

Peter Martin Jones was a regular visitor to Aberystwyth Harbour and was a long-standing supporter of the RNLI.

Aberystwyth branch chairman Mark Morgan MNM said: “As a fellow Newtonian and family friend I am so proud and pleased that Peter chose to bequeath such a substantial amount towards the running costs of Aberystwyth Lifeboat Station.

"Peter's generous legacy will help considerably towards saving lives at sea in his beloved Cardigan Bay.”

A plaque in memory of Peter will be placed at Aberystwyth Lifeboat Station and his name added to a RNLI legacy lifeboat. A cheque for £300,000 was presented to RNLI volunteers in the seaside town by Peter’s cousin Lesley Pearson who said the family were "proud" to be part of his legacy and to follow his wishes.

Well-known and respected within the Aberystwyth harbour community, Peter always enjoyed exchanging ideas with local boat owners and fishermen and helping with engineering problems where needed. The Newtown resident made the remarkable gesture before he sadly died in March 2020.

Peter studied for a Diploma in Agricultural Science at the National College of Agriculture in Cirencester and spent most of his working life as an agricultural representative for two large agricultural merchants Burgess of Newtown and Jones & Co of Welshpool. He became a respected figure in the farming community. Peter died on March 10 2020 and his ashes were scattered at sea in Aberystwyth on June 4, 2021 in accordance with his wishes.

The RNLI said legacies are essential to help fund their voluntary work with six out of 10 lifeboat launches only possible thanks to gifts in Wills.

The ‘Launch a Memory,’ campaign was launched for people to remember a loved one by adding their name to the letters and numbers printed on the side of a new all-weather lifeboat. Names will be printed on the lifeboat decal, which is the hardwearing sticker designed to make up the lettering and numbering displayed on the side of the lifeboat. Each decal will include between 5,000 and 10,000 names.