Friends of Exmouth trawlerman Geoff Ingram, who died when his boat sunk this autumn, gathered to present his family and crewmen with funds raised by the community in his memory.
The loss of the 51-year-old father-of-two was felt throughout the community of Exmouth with people donating a staggering £16,512 in just two months since Geoff's boat, the Sarah Jayne went down off the coast of Brixham on September 11.
The heartfelt fundraising effort was driven by Geoff's friends Phil and Louise Higgins and Viv Ewings.
At an intimate gathering at the Point Bar and Grill at Exmouth docks, the amount was presented to Geoff's wife Sarah and their two children Vicky, 20, and Tom, 17, and his two crewmen, Scott Chamberlain and Matt Bull.
The men said Geoff, a former Exmouth RNLI crewman, saved their lives as the skipper had gone back into the wheel room to make the may day call which led to their rescue, when the boat flipped.
Viv said: "We've all been amazed by people's generosity. It's still very raw, we still feel his loss very much and miss him very much. We just wanted to do something to help his family and crew who lost Geoff and their jobs that day."
The loss of the 51-year-old father-of-two was felt throughout the community of Exmouth with people donating a staggering £16,512 in just two months since Geoff's boat, the Sarah Jayne went down off the coast of Brixham on September 11.
The heartfelt fundraising effort was driven by Geoff's friends Phil and Louise Higgins and Viv Ewings.
At an intimate gathering at the Point Bar and Grill at Exmouth docks, the amount was presented to Geoff's wife Sarah and their two children Vicky, 20, and Tom, 17, and his two crewmen, Scott Chamberlain and Matt Bull.
The men said Geoff, a former Exmouth RNLI crewman, saved their lives as the skipper had gone back into the wheel room to make the may day call which led to their rescue, when the boat flipped.
Viv said: "We've all been amazed by people's generosity. It's still very raw, we still feel his loss very much and miss him very much. We just wanted to do something to help his family and crew who lost Geoff and their jobs that day."
