AN 106-year-old yacht is returning to the South Lakeland village where it was built thanks to a £10,000 grant.

Arnside Sailing Club and Arnside Archive Group have secured the cash from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a project exploring the village’s maritime and boat building heritage.

The club will buy the 1912 yacht, called Severn, and bring it back to the village while the group plans to make a film about the return, hold an exhibition and set up a website.

At the turn of the twentieth century Arnside was an important boat building centre. Crossfields made fishing boats and yachts in the village and were the leading builders of Morecambe Bay Prawners or Lancashire Nobbies, used to catch prawns, shrimps and flounder in the Irish Sea. Crossfields also built Arthur Ransome’s 'Swallow'.

While several of Crossfield’s boats are still existence, including one built in 1888, another which has been sailed across the Atlantic and two in the Mediterranean, there are no Crossfield’s boats in the village.

Severn was one of ten made by Crossfields for the Royal Mersey Yacht Club.

Alasdair Simpson, for Arnside Sailing Club, said the yacht was currently in the south of England. It will be repainted before being put back in the water in May

A Friend’s Group to help look after the yacht has been set up. Email crossfieldyachtsevern@gmail.com if you want to get involved.

Mary Hamilton, for Arnside Archive Group, said: "To help us find out more about the Crossfields, we would like to hear from people who own boats built by them, the family or anybody who has recollections about the boatyard.”