Old Penlee Lifeboat Station opens its doors to nearly 140 visitors

A five o’clock start from Swindon. A holiday planned around a single Sunday. A former lifeboat crew member who came all the way from the Isle of Man. The old Penlee Lifeboat Station drew visitors from across the country when the Visits Team opened it up, and nearly 140 people walked through the doors to look around.

People came from near and far

Some arrived with a wealth of knowledge already, ready to swap stories about the station. Others came happy to learn all about the history of the building from scratch. Alongside the locals were people who had planned their holidays to land on the open day.

Among the visitors were Alison Grierson-Brookes, from Tetbury in the Cotswolds, and Megan and Charlie, from Cambridge, who came with Nick Grew, from Staffordshire. Charlie’s granny, as it turned out, is from Newlyn. Pauline and Callie made the trip from Swindon and left home at 5.00am to be sure they could be there for the day. Elodie, Steph and Harry travelled from Broadstairs in Kent. And Roger, once an RNLI crew member himself at Port St Mary on the Isle of Man, came to see the station too.

The team on the day

Visits Team members Trevor Thorne, Kevin Lander, Robert Andrews, John Findlay and Colin Lawry were on hand throughout, keeping visitors safe and sharing some of the history of the station.

Thanks to Colin Lawry for the photos.

📷Megan and Charlie, from Cambridge (but Charlie's granny is from Newlyn!), with Nick Grew, from Staffordshire - Credit: Colin Lawry

📷Roger, formerly an RNLI crew member from Port St Mary, in the Isle of Man - Credit: Colin Lawry

📷Alison Grierson-Brookes, from Tetbury, in the Cotswolds - Credit: Colin Lawry

📷Elodie, Steph and Harry, from Broadstairs in Kent - Credit: Colin Lawry

📷Pauline and Callie, from Swindon, who left home at 5.00 am to make sure that they could be with us today - Credit: Colin Lawry