Hartlepool RNLI hosts friends and family day as new Shannon class lifeboat comes into action
A friends and family open day was held at a lifeboat station to give members of the public a closer look at its new lifeboat.
Named John Sharp, the new £2.45million Shannon class lifeboat came into service at Hartlepool Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s (RNLI) Ferry Road station recently following an extended navigational exercise on the Northumberland coast.
Hartlepool RNLI crew member Matt Blanchard said: “As we celebrate the arrival of our new boat, we thought it would be nice to let our families and friends have a look around the boat to let them see for themselves what an impressive vessel it is.
“We have spent a lot of time training on the Shannon class lifeboats recently which we simply couldn't do without the support of our families.”
Hartlepool RNLI chairman Malcolm Cook said: “It was lovely seeing the visitors at the boathouse house.
"It's thanks to their support and donations from the public we can be on call 24/7, 365 days a year.”