LOCAL people will have their first chance to see the results of a £1 million-plus refurbishment at Minehead lifeboat station next week.

Tours of the enlarged and modernised building will be available as part of Lifeboat Day on Saturday July 1, and the charity’s local officials say they are anticipating a lot of demand.

Minehead RNLI branch chairman Richard Newton said the year-long project to update and extend the 122-year old station had not merely aroused a lot of interest but had prompted a great many local donations towards the cost.

“It has taken a few months from the end of the build to get everything sorted out internally and move across from the portable buildings we were using as a temporary home,” he said. “But now the new station is fully operational I hope people will take this opportunity to come and see what a fantastic job the architects and builders have done.

“It’s really been transforming for the crew who have exchanged a damp, cramped Victorian station -with few facilities - into a comfortable modern building with ample space for training, proper stowage for their kit and, for the first time, proper changing rooms.

“And we are already seeing the benefit of reconfiguring the boat storage so that our small D-class boat now has its own boat hall and exit, which is making launching a far simpler and quicker operation.”

One of the attractions of Lifeboat Day will be a display of model boats crafted over the years by local journalist and author Tony James, many of them based on sailing vessels that were once regularly seen in Bristol Channel waters including coasters, fishing vessels and pilot cutters. Some will be for sale with a proportion of the proceeds going to RNLI funds.

There will also be a chance to meet the volunteer crew and learn about the work of the station, which provides rescue cover along 30 miles of coast from Hinkley Point to Lynmouth and was officially credited with saving no fewer 10 lives in the course of its 40-plus shouts in 2022.

Both boats - the D class and the larger Atlantic 85 - will be launched during the afternooLOCAL people will have their first chance to see the results of a £1 million-plus refurbishment at Minehead lifeboat station next week.

Tours of the enlarged and modernised building will be available as part of Lifeboat Day on Saturday July 1, and the charity’s local officials say they are anticipating a lot of demand. Minehead RNLI branch chairman Richard Newton said the year-long project to update and extend the 122-year old station had not merely aroused a lot of interest but had prompted a great many local donations towards the cost.

“It has taken a few months from the end of the build to get everything sorted out internally and move across from the portable buildings we were using as a temporary home,” he said. “But now the new station is fully operational I hope people will take this opportunity to come and see what a fantastic job the architects and builders have done.

“It’s really been transforming for the crew who have exchanged a damp, cramped Victorian station -with few facilities - into a comfortable modern building with ample space for training, proper stowage for their kit and, for the first time, proper changing rooms.

“And we are already seeing the benefit of reconfiguring the boat storage so that our small D-class boat now has its own boat hall and exit, which is making launching a far simpler and quicker operation.”

One of the attractions of Lifeboat Day will be a display of model boats crafted over the years by local journalist and author Tony James, many of them based on sailing vessels that were once regularly seen in Bristol Channel waters including coasters, fishing vessels and pilot cutters. Some will be for sale with a proportion of the proceeds going to RNLI funds.

There will also be a chance to meet the volunteer crew and learn about the work of the station, which provides rescue cover along 30 miles of coast from Hinkley Point to Lynmouth and was officially credited with saving no fewer 10 lives in the course of its 40-plus shouts in 2022.

Both boats - the D class and the larger Atlantic 85 - will be launched during the afternoon.