RNLI celebrates 200th anniversary at Poole Lifeboat Festival

Poole Lifeboat Festival saw lifeboats gather from around the world, including Sweden, the Netherlands and France, on May 18 and 19 to help the RNLI mark the occasion. 

The first of its kind in 25 years since the RNLI celebrated its 175 years, the event saw thousands gather to learn about the heritage and importance of the charity that saves lives at sea daily.

Poole Lifeboat Station press officer, Anne-Marie Clarke, said: "200 years is a pretty awesome birthday to celebrate and they did a similarly huge event for 175 years.

"There are boats from Holland, Germany, and Sweden and some really old boats and old salty sea dogs who can tell lots of tales.

"We're very proud to be the home of the RNLI and we want to keep it going and we need new people."

Festival goers were able to see behind the curtain of the RNLI with doors open to the all-weather lifeboat station, RNLI college, sea survival centre, Poole lifeboat station, old lifeboat museum and Poole Quay boat haven. 

An array of lifeboats docked in the haven for onlookers to jump on and see the charity's history first hand and speak to those who volunteer to save others.

This included RNLI's Swedish counterpart, Swedish Sea Rescue Society (SSRS), who brought two of their own lifeboats, including a state-of-the-art boat which has been on active duty for three weeks in Skarhamn on the Swedish Island, Tjorn. 

SSSR volunteer, Stefan Johansson said: "The RNLI have a lot of collaboration with the SSSR and we're also volunteers just like they are. They have tried out boats out for designing theirs and we do it the other way around so it's a mutual understanding of systems.

"We've visited a few lifeboat stations all along the trip and the hospitality has been incredible between rescue stations, boats and people."

The festival ended with a parade of sail on May 19 at 4pm which saw the boats take to the waters of Poole Harbour.