ST DAVIDS Penknife Club recently handed over a total of £5,340 to local good causes. Money raised over several months of fun fundraising events.

Starting back in September, several club members and friends departed from Fishguard to Rosslare courtesy of Stena Line, on a walk to Ireland. This event raised much-needed funds for Shalom House which provides an immensely important day respite service for people from across Pembrokeshire who are diagnosed with life limiting illnesses.

Grace Thomas, who works at Shalom House came to the club's February meeting to receive a £1,340 cheque for the charity.

For the duration of November Penknife club members held No Shave Movember. The event produced some outstanding facial hair. Of note was member Alan Thomas who went the extra mile and dyed his beard pink to raise some additional money.

This year's chosen charity was the Pembrokeshire Branch of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Branch secretary Caroline Willis was presented with a cheque for £2,000 at the meeting– a superb effort by everyone involved.

Th final fundraising event for this round of events was this year's record-breaking at Whitesands. This event raises funds for two organisations who help to save lives at sea; Porthmawr Surf Life Saving Club and St Davids RNLI lifeboat. Both provide vital cover for the New Year's Day swim, enabling it to go ahead.

The Nippers section of the Porthmawr club, accompanied by Stu Penfold, was presented with a cheque for £1,500 to help them continue to train future and present lifeguards.

A cheque for £500 was also presented to St Davids RNLI coxswain Dai John. This goes towards the crew fund, which purchases equipment not issued by the RNLI.

"Once again, a huge thanks to the local community for supporting us in our fundraising events," said a club spokesman. "Also, a huge thanks to Barclays and Lloyds Banks for kindly match-funding some of the money that we have raised - this really does make a difference."

The next penknife club event is the annual pancake race in St Davids on Shrove Tuesday, March 5.

Registration takes place at The Bishops at 4.30 pm, once the children have had their races, there will be further pancake refreshment in the Farmers.