LIFEBOAT crews across Wirral are being immortalised in traditional glass photographs this week as part of a unique project to document all 238 RNLI lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland.
Photographer Jack Lowe is visiting the lifeboat stations at West Kirby, Hoylake and New Brighton as he continues The Lifeboat Station Project – his 10-year mission to create a complete photographic record of every single RNLI lifeboat station and crew.
The project had to be paused for two years following the first national lockdown and the restrictions that followed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. But Jack was able to get back on the road this month starting with a visit to Flint RNLI lifeboat station on 24 March.
Jack makes his distinctive photographs using a Victorian process known as wet collodion, creating images on glass from his mobile darkroom – a decommissioned ambulance called Neena.
Jack's mobile darkroom. Picture: Jack Lowe
He will be capturing the view from each RNLI lifeboat station, as well as images of the coxswains and helms, the women, the mechanics, and the full crews. Once the project is complete, the photographs are planned to form part of a special exhibition and book in support of the lifesaving charity.
Jack began the Wirral leg of his mission at West Kirby Lifeboat Station on Saturday.
He will visit Hoylake on Tuesday and New Brighton on Thursday.
Hoylake RNLI Coxswain Howie Owen said: "It's a real privilege to be photographed as part of this incredible project.
"Jack's passion and skill has already created an important record of over 150 of the RNLI’s crews around our coast and we can’t wait to be part of that.
"We look forward to welcoming Jack, his camera, and of course Neena, to Hoylake this week."
Jack's photographs will feature in a unique exhibition and book and will serve as a record of every lifeboat station. Picture: Jack Lowe
Ahead of his visit, Jack said: "After such a long pause to my coastal travels, it’s a huge relief to have been given the green light by the RNLI to resume my travels now that their stations are open to the public once again.
"With 150 stations completed and 88 to go, I can't wait to make new work with the lifeboat volunteers and to continue sharing this good news story.
"And this leg of the journey is particularly exciting as it’s the first time I’ve been to the Wirral!
"The enforced pause has, of course, delayed the completion of the project. However – if everything goes smoothly from this point – I’m now set to finish in 2024, the RNLI’s 200th anniversary.
"Although it's been such a challenging time for everyone, I can’t help but feel that the revised completion date is a golden piece of serendipity to have come out of it all."
Jack publishes updates on Twitter @ProjectLifeboat but you can really get behind the project by becoming a member of The LSP Society, the place where you can also follow his journey more closely via the project’s dedicated app. Learn more at lifeboatstationproject.com
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here