Special dinner marks 150th anniversary of New Brighton Lifeboat Station (From Wirral Globe)

Special dinner marks 150th anniversary of New Brighton Lifeboat Station

8:00am Sunday 20th January 2013 in News By Geoff Barnes

A SPECIAL dinner to mark 150 years of heroism on the high seas has been held at a top Wirral hotel.

New Brighton lifeboat station crews have rescued 1,235 people from the waves since the local service was inaugurated in 1863.

A century-and-a-half of outstanding bravery  has seen 48 awards of gallantry to local life-boatmen.

The station – one of the busiest in the North of England - is manned entirely by volunteers and its area of operations cover the Mersey estuary, Liverpool Bay,  River Mersey beyond Widnes and the Wirral and Sefton coastlines.

The anniversary dinner took place on Friday at the Leasowe Castle Hotel. It was supported by several VIP’s, including Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside Dame Lorna Muirhead, RNLI national council members Anthony Hannay and Wirral’s mayor Cllr Gerry Ellis.

A specially inscribed scroll signed by the Duke of Kent will be presented by Mr Hannay to New Brighton station lifeboat operations manager Graham Sale.

The actual anniversary date is this Thursday, January 24, and a special 8ft by 2ft banner bearing the legend 'New Brighton RNLI 1863 – 2013' will be displayed outside the New Brighton Station on King's Parade.

Station chairman Frank Brereton, who is organising celebrations, said a series of events to mark the anniversary would be held throughout the year.