Thousands brave windy Bank Holiday for Hoylake & West Kirby Lifeboat Open Day
Hoylake Promenade was host to around 10,000 visitors at this year’s Hoylake & West Kirby Lifeboat Open Day on Monday 27 August, which raised approximately £17,000 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) despite the blustery Bank Holiday weather.
Hundreds of people took the opportunity to step aboard Hoylake RNLI’s Shannon class lifeboat Edmund Hawthorn Micklewood and the station’s Inshore Rescue Hovercraft Hurley Spirit. West Kirby RNLI also displayed their highly manoeuvrable D class inshore lifeboat Seahorse while the RNLI’s Face-to-Face Team talked to members of the public about water safety and the vital role that the RNLI plays in saving lives at sea.
Dozens of exhibitors and stallholders lined the promenade including the Wirral Coastguard Rescue Team, who displayed their vehicles and equipment to the public. The Northern Kite Group also demonstrated their kites on the beach while families enjoyed the many fairground attractions and games stalls.
BBC Radio Merseyside’s Andy Ball kept the crowds entertained and informed as the event’s official announcer, interviewing RNLI and other emergency service volunteers throughout the day. Hoylake Lifeboat Station was also open to the public where RNLI souvenirs, cakes and refreshments were on sale.
Hoylake & West Kirby Lifeboat Open Day has been a Bank Holiday fixture in the local community for many years and, thanks to the generosity of members of the public who attend, raises vital funds to help the RNLI continue saving lives at sea.
Event organiser Carole Jackson said: ‘The volunteer crews of both Hoylake and West Kirby Lifeboat Stations were thrilled that so many visitors turned out on the day, even though the weather was a tad chilly.’
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.