The RNLI Angle appeal has hit its target after £1.6M gift from a mystery donor.

The magnificent donation will ensure that the volunteer crew receive their state-of-the-art £2.6M Tamar class lifeboat, after two years of fundraising by volunteers in Pembrokeshire and Birmingham.

£1.6M pledged to the Angle appeal by an anonymous donor brings the appeal to a successful conclusion. Nearly £400,000 has been raised since it the launch of the £1M Tamar Lifeboat Appeal for Angle in 2006 .

The unexpected windfall of £1.6m combined with the appeal funds comes to a stunning £2M, with the RNLI agreeing to fund the remaining £600,000 towards the cost of the £2.6M lifeboat.

The RNLI Tamar for Angle appeal was launched in Birmingham in 2006 to celebrate the historic links between the city and the sea. One of the highlights of the appeal was a Birmingham By The Sea day, when the RNLI brought the beach to Brindley Place to raise awareness of the work of the charity and £6,000 towards the appeal.

The RNLI says that inland communities have pulled out all the stops to bring in the cash, with some fantastic achievements from groups, businesses and individuals alike.

Pembrokeshire RNLI supporters have also been forging ahead and have made a substantial contribution to the fundraising drive.

June Addison, RNLI Senior Fundraising Manager who has led the appeal says: Over the past two years, I have been overwhelmed by the support we have received from the public. The majority of the fundraising activity has taken place in the Midlands and it never ceases to amaze me that people who couldn't live further away from the coast have such a passion for the RNLI charity.' Other fundraising activity has included a Zip Wire at Fort Dunlop and a sponsored 186 mile trek along Pembrokeshire Coastal path. The single most successful fundraising activity was the Folly Farm Summer Ball, when Pembrokeshire supporters dined and danced the night away, before experiencing all the fun of fair, raising £11,000 towards the appeal.

The kind and most generous £1.6M donation really is the highlight of a fantastic two years of hard work," said Ms Addison.

"We are so very grateful the RNLI at Angle has been chosen as the beneficiary of this tremendous sum of money. The volunteer crew were thrilled to hear of this donation which will ensure they get a bigger lifeboat capable of reaching casualties faster, which will help them save more lives at sea.' The new Tamar class is significantly faster and more manoeuvrable in heavy seas than the station's current Tyne class, The Lady Rank, but also safer and more comfortable for the crew. It can carry up to 100 survivors.