AN EVENING of great fun and good food in Mitchel Troy Village Hall, has resulted in a donation of £400 to the RNLI.

Advertised as ‘Supper and Shanties, and part of the RNLI’s initiative for supporters to hold fish suppers all around Great Britain and Ireland, Mitchel Troy embarked on an ambitious plan based on the sea and with fishy themes.

The event started with an ingenious quiz, ably adapted by Peter Watts from the RNLI’s online version.

The quiz was eventually won by the Llandogo Sharks, a team of three ladies from the Wye Valley village.

By now they will have enjoyed the prize of bottles of Fish Hook wine and sea shell chocolates.

Then came supper for the 50 guest. It was prepared in local homes and cooked in the village hall’s new range cooker. The cooks relied on Mary Berry’s recipe for Three Fish Pie and an alternative vegetable lasagne – recipe thanks to Delia Smith. It was followed by lemon tarts, all of which were baked by Helen Hall, a truly magnificent effort.

Following the supper, the audience joined in sea shanties led by ‘Bygonz’ a duo of musicians and singers who have a wide repertoire of music from medieval, through Tudor and on to modern day. They sang songs featuring Lord Nelson and The Marco Polo, and encouraged the audience to join in old favourites such as ‘What shall we do with the drunken sailor’.

Clare Tuggey, Chair of the Monmouth Branch of the RLNI, thanked everyone for their support and the organisers for the wonderful evening.

She also emphasised that the RNLI is one of the first charities to stop contacting people unless they have prior consent to do so. It is therefore vital that everyone signs up to help the charity that saves life at sea through the dedication of its volunteers.

With ticket sales, bar profit and the raffle, the cheque for £400 has already gone to the RNLI and will hopefully help to save lives at sea, on rivers and the beaches around our coasts.