An artist has painted a picture of a lifeboat that is going out of service, so the RNLI can auction it off to raise money towards a new one.

Ros White, of Carlisle, painted the picture of the Sir John Fisher which she handed over to the Workington RNLI crew.

The boat, which was launched in 1992, is going out of service and will be replaced by a new Shannon class boat called the Dorothy May White.

Ros, who works as an RNLI volunteer, said: "I painted the picture of the Sir John Fisher and handed it over to the RNLI at the Port of Workington last week.

"They took me out on the lifeboat which was great fun."

The oil painting was due to be auctioned off last night (Feb 10) at an event at Harrington Sailing Club in Workington.

The Times & Star and Whitehaven News and RNLI Lifeboat Appeal, backed by Sellafield Ltd, has raised more than £90,000 towards the cost of the Dorothy May White, which will become the coast's all-weather lifeboat.

It needs to find another £60,000 to get the lifeboat afloat and serving west Cumbria.

The £2.1m Dorothy May White boat has already been built and tested at sea from the RNLI's headquarters in Poole.

It will arrive in Workington, where it will be based, in April, and officially launched in June. Serving the area from Drigg to Port Carlisle, the new boat has been named in honour of the woman whose legacy provided £1 million towards it.

The Sir John Fisher Foundation has also made a significant contribution.

The Lifeboat Appeal was launched last June and hundreds of events have already been held and donations and promises have poured in.

Tim Chittenden, operations manager for Workington RNLI, said: "The Dorothy May White will make a huge difference to us helping to keep the coast of West Cumbria safe and we are almost there.

"We would urge anyone that can help us reach our target to get in touch. We're grateful that people care so much."