Anthony Carroll Freshly cooked herring have helped a Hemsby life saving team cook up a fund-raising treat.On Sunday the distinct smell of herring cooked in rolled oats and beef dripping drifted over the beach at Hemsby,The fish were being cooked in a traditional way at the Hemsby Inshore Rescue Service's annual herring festival.

Anthony Carroll

Freshly cooked herring have helped a Hemsby life saving team cook up a fund-raising treat.

On Sunday the distinct smell of herring cooked in rolled oats and beef dripping drifted over the beach at Hemsby,

The fish were being cooked in a traditional way at the Hemsby Inshore Rescue Service's annual herring festival.

About �2,000 was raised from the day to help run the independent service's two craft as more than 400 local residents and holiday makers tucked into the freshly cooked treats and took part in a range of fun activities.

The Hemsby Inshore Rescue Service needs to raise about �20,000 a year to keep its inshore lifeboat and Broads craft on call to attend about 40 rescue incidents a year.

At noon father Adrian Ling of Hemsby's Mary the Virgin Church blessed the herring in a service that mirrored the traditional blessing of the first catch of the fishing season.

The coxswain of the Hemsby Inshore Rescue Service Ross Hewitt said: “Considering the weather the day has gone very well. Hopefully we will raise about �2,000.”

The mayor of Great Yarmouth Michael Jeal helped to bless the herring at the festival, which also included model boats, a bouncy castle, cake and bric-a-brac stalls, a tombola and lifeboat demonstrations