A CHARITY soup lunch has handed over £300 to help support the restoration of a icon Maldon boat.

Di Rogers, who runs the charity soup lunches once a month from the Maldon Little Ship Club, is donating the cash raised to a number of different causes throughout the year.

The money from October’s event has been handed over to Janet Hall who is restoring the steam tug Brent.

Now moored at Cooks Yard the steam tug is one of the last surviving tugs built for the admiralty in the final stages of the Second World War.

The port of London authority sent Brent to the breaker’s yard in 1970 but she was saved by Ron Hall – who had been ordered to skipper an impounded yacht from Maldon to the very same yard.

Brent became the home of Ron and Janet Hall for the next 25 years.

Following Ron’s death Janet took on the responsibility of maintaining the Brent setting up the Steam Boat Brent Trust in 2010.

The National Historic Ships Register places Brent at number three making her a compelling case for a full restoration.

The trust is now in in talks with organisations to secure funding for restoration.

Di said: “I felt the support for Brent was particularly appropriate at this time as the Brent Trust had recently been restructured and she is such an icon of Maldon’s waterfront.”

The next soup lunch will take place at Maldon Little Ship Club on Tuesday November 8.

For information phone 01621 853841 or email diana.rogers2@btinternet.com