Falmouth’s Virtual Sea Shanty Festival went global on Friday, with a total audience of more than 100,000 having now seen the live show.

There were more than 30 group performances, from Cornwall to the USA, with an audience spread far and wide and a Facebook newsfeed reach of 500,000.

People tuned in from as far as Tokyo, Canada, Australia and the USA for the virtual event, which took place on the first day of what would have been the 2020 festival.

The evening, presented by Betty Stogs, organiser John Warren, and Richard Gates, Falmouth town manager, provided an element of comedy to the alternative proceedings.

Pictures flooded in of people holding Pirate Parties and small events from their own homes, as well as more than 4,000 comments and 'shout out' requests.

The event took place at the Cornwall Channel studios, where Shane Solomon and Mike Spinks worked hard on the tech behind the scenes.

There was footage of Falmouth from 3Deep Aerial, offering both music and hints to where Falmouth's International Sea Shanty usually takes place.

3Deep Aerial has also set up a virtual sea shanty tour that can be seen at www.falmouthseashanty.co.uk/360/

Richard, who is chairman of Falmouth’s International Sea Shanty Committee and town manager, said: “The traction we received online was amazing and we were pleased to have offered a Virtual Sea Shanty despite the cancellation of the live weekend.

"The awareness gained not only for the festival but the town is phenomenal, especially during these challenging times.

"I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who donated and also thank you to Skinners and Seasalt for your continued support as well as all the other sponsors involved in the festival.”

Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festivals chosen charity each year is the RNLI.

This year, so far, a net total of £13,200 has been raised for the charity. The annual Beat Betty competition helped towards the total.

Donations can still be made at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rnli-falmouth-sea-shanty-festival

More than £3,500 was raised for the Royal Cornwall Hospital Covid-19 Fund via the Through the Years Shanty CD 2020.

The CD presents 48 tracks from groups and singers who have performed over previous years. It can be bought from The Cornish Store website for USB or download.

The Virtual Shanty Festival can be relived via https://youtu.be/y0Q8bw3BwT4 and see the festival's Facebook page for more.