THE widow of a Royal Marine who lost his life in Afghanistan has raised money for a patrol boat named in his honour.

Niki Taylor’s husband Sergeant Luke Taylor was shot by a rogue Afghan soldier in Helmand Province in 2012.

Last year, the Christchurch branch of the Marine Volunteer Service (MVS) dedicated their new patrol boat to Luke, in a ceremony attended by Niki and her young son Roan.

The unit decided to name the boat after Luke because of his popularity in the community.

To support the gesture from MVS, Niki and a group of her friends have undertaken fundraising events to raise some cash for repairs to the vessel.

Niki, along with Julie Saunders, Sue Sharp, Krista Geraty and Fiona Davies, organised a coffee and cake sale in Burton church hall in the morning and afternoon, selling bric-a-brac.

In the evening, Niki ran a pamper evening, in total collecting £1,025 for the MVS.

The money will allow the organisation to complete repairs on the boat, The Luke Taylor, and hopefully have it back in the water in time for a fun day on July 26.

Cllr Colin Bungey, who is a founder member of the Christchurch MVS, said: “The ladies worked very hard and made a fantastic effort to raise this money for us and we are very grateful to them and the residents of Burton for supporting the event.”

The MVS fun day will take place from 10am to 8pm on Saturday July 26 at Christchurch Quomps.

There will be entertainment, refreshments, crafts and stalls, a dog show as well as live music.

The Maritime Volunteer Service is a charity funded by voluntary contributions which helps to keep Britain’s maritime skills alive.