Weymouth lifeboat station open day
Weymouth RNLI lifeboat week has concluded with the lifeboat station and both the "Severn" Class All-weather and "Atlantic 75" class Inshore lifeboats being open to the public.
A steady stream of visitors meant that at the end of the day hundreds of people had walked around the boat and met the volunteer crew members.
RNLI mascot Stormy Stan made an appearance to the delight of the children while the RNLI national raffle tickets were on sale to those wishing to have a little flutter as well as supporting the RNLI financially. Lifeboat week is our main fund raising week of the year.
Keeping a modern fleet of lifeboats ever-ready to go to the rescue from over 230 lifeboat stations is an expensive business. Add to that crew training, running a lifeguard service on more than 200 popular beaches and campaigning for water safety, and the pounds start to add up.
It costs around £460,000 a day to run the RNLI, all of which is generously donated by the public and lifeboat weeks held around the country are a very important part in reaching that total.
At the moment it is too early to say how this year's fund raising events at The Nothe and Bowlease Cove along with the open day have fared compared to other years.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.