WORCESTER'S favourite seal, Keith, may have moved on to waters new but his name lives on at the RGS Worcester Boat Club.

One of the new single sculling boats was named ‘Keith the Seal’ by headmaster John Pitt, at a ceremony on Saturday.

Nine training boats were introduced to the fleet at the start of September, all of which have been named after wildlife commonly seen on the River Severn at Worcester.

Head of rowing Jane Sullivan said: "One of the bonuses of rowing at Worcester is the variety of wildlife we often see.

"We loved having Keith here and our rowers were always thrilled to see this wonderful animal swimming alongside them as they rowed – often faster too.

"We thought wildlife would be a good way of highlighting the fantastic treasure we have right in the heart of the city."

The Severn’s otters, kingfishers, cormorants and dragonflies have all inspired the names of the new boats.

The boats that were named this week are designed for beginners.

"We start rowing in Year Nine at RGS Worcester and the new fleet has enabled us to get our 25 beginners rowing independently in just a few weeks," said Mrs Sullivan.

Mr Pitt said: "Rowing is one of the many co-curricular opportunities that we offer at RGS Worcester.

"We have had great success on the river and will continue to invest in equipment to ensure that RGS rowing has a bright future."