MORE than £6,000 which was raised to help a local rescue charity has been spent on a vital resource.

Last year Galashiels and District Rotary Club member and founder of Take to the Water CIC, Lynda Stoddart, completed a 9.5km swim with more than 25 other people to raise money for the Borders Water Rescue Team (BWRT).

Lynda and her fellow swimmers swam from the Union Chain Bridge to Berwick RNLI lifeboat slip at Spittal.

The money raised helped BWRT purchase a new rescue boat.

On Sunday, February 4 the new megaraft was officially launched on the Tweed at Banff Mill near Kelso.

The presentation of the new boat was carried out by Rotary International President Gordon McInally from Yetholm, who named the boat 'Hope' in recognition of this year's Rotary Theme 'Creating Hope in the World'.

Lynda hopes to repeat the swimming challenge again this year.