THE National Lottery is helping a Fylde scuba-diving club keep afloat with a grant of £11,000.

West Lancashire Sub Aqua Club, based in St Annes, is celebrating the cash boost after a year-long wait.

The club committee took the plunge months ago to ask for lottery cash so they could buy a new boat and compressor for £18,000 to keep their diving trips going.

Now club members are in at the deep end as they attempt to raise the remaining £7,000 which will ensure the group's future as a major scuba-diving club.

Belinda Slater, a keen diver and member of the club, said: "This money is a real boost for us. We will use the new boat to take more divers on trips further away.

"We already dive all around the country and have even found an uncharted shipwreck in the past.

"We will be selling the two smaller boats we have at the moment to raise some money, and we are also inviting people to join our club.

"Qualified diving instructors will teach anyone from scratch in a swimming pool and later in open water."

The group meets at the Lido swimming pool on Lytham Road, Blackpool, on Monday evenings. Call Peter Hall on 01995 670618.

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