ISLANDERS will be able to enjoy a day by the seaside - thanks to the Mersea Island Lions Club and a kindhearted benefactor.

The community charity has bought a new beach hut opposite the bottom of Empress Avenue, which is available to hire.

The hut replaces the group's former premises, which was rotting on both the sides and the base. Colin Barkwith, president of the Mersea Lions, said: "We sold the old one for £1. It had been there for many years."

Now, thanks to a legacy, the group has been able to buy a new hut which will also be accessible to the disabled.

The money came from a generous benefactor who left donations to a number of charities in his will.