SEVERN, a 106-year-old yacht sailed for the first time last weekend since her return to Arnside, where she was built in 1912.

Severn is one of ten Rivers Class yachts made for the Royal Mersey Yacht Club by William Crossfield and Sons in their Beach Walk Boatyard on the shore at Arnside.

Crossfields were leading builders of Morecambe Bay Prawners and Yachts. Around 40 of their boats survive including two in the Mediterranean and one on the west coast of America.

Severn was purchased by Arnside Sailing Club with a help of a Heritage Lottery Grant earlier this year.

Alasdair Simpson for the sailing club said “I would like to thank everybody who helped get Severn ready to go into the estuary and the people that sailed her this weekend.

"It has been a real community project with a lot of different people contributing to the project”.

Over the weekend Arnside Archive Group also held an exhibition on the village’s maritime heritage. Historically the Kent Estuary acted as the port for Kendal. The village’s first yacht club was set up in 1852, making it the earliest yacht club in the district.

Around 20 members of the Crossfield family came up for the exhibition. Mary Hamilton for the archive group said “The exhibition was a great success with around 300 visitors in two days.

"It generated a great deal of interest, both amongst people living in the village and elsewhere, with people coming to Arnside especially to see the exhibition. It was great to meet so many members of the Crossfield family at the exhibition.”