Thanks to George from Cowes RNLI for sharing details with On The Wight readers about this open day. Ed
Cowes lifeboat station, which last year was officially opened by the Queen, will be giving a warm welcome to the general public this Saturday (26 January).
“Our way of marking the RNLI’s SOS Day is to have an Open Day to enable Isle of Wight people to see just why we are so proud of our new station and the life-saving work we do,” said lifeboat operations manager Mark Southwell.
The station, based at the Old Customs House, beside The Parade, will be open between 10.30 and 4.30, with no charge for admission.
What to see
Listed in the action-packed programme:
- A talk on the 300 year occupation of the site by HM Customs, delivered by former customs officer, Steve Holden, at 10:30 and 13:30
- Station tours delivered by station volunteers throughout the day.
- Games & other activities for children (& adults)
- A chance to inspect the Cowes Lifeboat Atlantic 85 Sheena Louise and a Y class lifeboat dinghy (kindly loaned for the day by the East Cowes based Inshore Lifeboat Centre)
- Launching of the lifeboat twice in the day to carry out a Man Over Board demonstration, followed by boat-recovery back to the station
- A chance to win prizes in a raffle
- A chance to enjoy refreshments and biscuits (subject to a small donation for the RNLI) while looking out on one of the best views in Cowes
Local sea scouts have kindly agreed to assist with the refreshments, and during the day the station will serve as a dropping-off point for a Cowes lifeboat painting competition involving schools in the Cowes and East Cowes area.
