Visitors Turn Out for Penlee Lifeboat Station Open Day

On the hottest day many had waited all spring for, you would expect west Cornwall’s beaches to be packed shoulder to shoulder. They were. But a steady stream of people had something else in mind.

Bank Holiday Monday delivered the promised temperature highs to west Cornwall, and while most made a beeline for the sand and sea, plenty of dedicated folks chose to spend part of their day somewhere rather different. They headed to the Old Penlee Lifeboat Station at Penlee Point, near Mousehole, for the open day.

📷Ffion, young Robin and Connor. Ffion is Lifeboat Medical Advisor, and Connor a crew member from New Brighton RNLI. Good luck with your training to become a helm Connor

A warm welcome at the boathouse

Well over a hundred visitors made their way to the station across the day. They were met by members of the Visits Team, who had turned out to share the building’s history and field questions from anyone curious enough to come and look.

The team on the day was made up of Rod James, Trevor Thorne, Jill Ryan, Kevin Lander, Robert Andrews, Mike Sagar-Fenton and Colin Lawry. Some of the volunteers were sheltering under a garden parasol to keep out of the strong sunshine, while others waited inside the boathouse, ready to greet people as they arrived.

For the visitors who made the trip, it was a chance to step away from the bustle of the beach and learn a little more about a station that has its own place in local history.

📷Volunteers Colin, Kevin, Jill and Rod; (3) Nathan de Rozarieux, Linda Hurley and Claire Hurley

📷Nathan de Rozarieux, Linda Hurley and Claire Hurley

📷Ollie and Tom, from Bryher, Isles of Scilly, with Ollie's RNLI-liveried teddy, very touchingly named Solomon