People can enjoy the chance to look inside the brand new Southport Lifeboat Station, with two Open Days taking place over Easter weekend.
The impressive new life-saving facility was officially opened on Marine Drive, on Southport’s seafront, earlier this year after an incredible £1.4million was raised through fundraising over the past few decades.
Construction took place over the past three years, with the project beset by delays due to the Covid pandemic and other unforeseen issues.
But now Southport Lifeboat – which relies entirely on charitable donations to operate and is staffed by volunteers – is operating from the purpose-built facility in the best possible location, ahead of the busy Easter and summer season.
Southport Lifeboat Coxswain and Trustee Director Nick Porter said: “We are delighted to announce that we will be opening our new Lifeboat Station to the general public on Friday April 15th (Good Friday) and Saturday April 16th.
“Tickets, which include a guided tour of the building, can be booked completely free of charge at our website – and will include a 10-minute guided tour of the new building, as well as the opportunity to take a closer look at the lifesaving equipment we use.
“We kindly ask that anyone who wants to attend pre-book a time slot to keep the tours to a manageable group size. The open days will run from 10am-4pm, with the last tours being at 3pm.
“Please be aware that there is no visitor parking on site. We advise that you use one of the local public car parks in the area.”
To book your place at a Southport Lifeboat Open Day please book using the link here.
The new station has replaced the old lifeboat house next to Southport Pleasureland that was built in 1886 and has been used by the Southport Offshore Rescue Trust, which operates Southport Lifeboat, since 1988.
Southport Lifeboat provides a lifeboat and land based search and rescue service around the region’s coastline. The crew are all unpaid volunteers who are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Independent of the RNLI, the Trust relies on donations and fundraising to support itself to provide a first class life saving service in an area of coast and water covering between the River Mersey in Merseyside and the River Ribble in Lancashire, and up to 25 miles offshore, including Southport Marine Lake.
Southport Lifeboat volunteers have helped in the safe return of over 5,000 people since being formed in 1988, and aims to give our crew the best equipment possible to help save lives on our coastline.
It costs £60,000 to keep Southport Lifeboat functioning all year round. That is no mean task during ordinary times, let alone the extraordinary times we currently find ourselves in.
Southport Lifeboat is funded entirely through public donations, and is independent of the RNLI.
For more details about the emergency service, or if you would like to donate, please visit their website:
http://www.southport-lifeboat.co.uk/
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