THE RNLI charity lifeboat crew was gifted a nautical birthday cake that would be hailed as a showstopper on the Great British Bake Off.

The crew were celebrating 20 years of saving lives at sea where they have trained nearly 30,000 crews and lifeguards.

The college first opened in 2004 in Poole and celebrated its birthday on July 29.

A spokesperson for RNLI College said: “Yesterday we had the pleasure of celebrating 20 years of training our charity’s lifeboat crew and lifeguards to save lives at sea here at the RNLI College in Poole.

“Since we opened back in 2004 we have trained over 25,000 Crews and Lifeguards.

“The aim of the College was to become a centre of training excellence for volunteers, an increasing number of whom were joining the RNLI without a maritime background.

"Today, the RNLI College is internationally recognised as a beacon of lifesaving training.

“The RNLI College is at the heart of the RNLI – where our extraordinary lifesaving volunteer crew and lifeguards from around the UK and Ireland will be trained for years to come thanks to your continued support.

“A big happy birthday to us and a big thank you to you.”

Alex Evans, Lifesaving Training Manager, said: "We aim to put 1200 crew through the CEP (Crew Emergency Procedures) course every year. It’s a 2-day safety course and covers capsize, sea survival, and firefighting. 

"The College’s primary purpose is for volunteers and lifeguards to do their training so that they can go out and save people, especially because people come from all walks of life, a lot of people have no maritime background.

"If we didn't train people well, there would be no rescuers. There'd be no rescues. And that's what's so cool about the College.

"At the lunch or dinner table, the crew from different stations will chat about how things work in their own region, and getting those little snippets outside of the classroom setting is priceless.

"It’s all part of the whole reason the College was built 20 years ago – to be the home of learning."