Dawn of a new lifesaving era for Bridlington RNLI

Although the station is not yet operational, the charity’s shop in the building, which sells RNLI merchandise and souvenirs, opened its doors on Friday 8 September.

The new Art Deco style building replaces the lifeboat station on South Marine Drive which was too small and outdated for the RNLI’s needs.

The two-storey station offers the extra space required to house Bridlington’s new Shannon class lifeboat and launch vehicle, which are set to arrive later in the year.* This means that they will be able to remain coupled together when not in use, thus speeding up the launch process when the crew is called out on a lifesaving mission.

Chris Brompton, Bridlington RNLI’s station mechanic, said: ‘Our volunteer crew is over the moon with the new lifeboat station. There was a real buzz of excitement when they saw inside it for the first time.

‘The new boathouse offers much more space with proper training and changing facilities. It also houses a mechanic’s workshop, an RNLI store and space for RNLI lifeguards to store their equipment.

‘We really can’t wait for the station to become operational and mark a new chapter of lifesaving in the town.’

The building’s location, adjacent to the beach, means that the lifeboat will no longer need to be taken along the main road to reach the sea but will have quicker and more direct access to the water. The extra space will also mean that the charity’s inshore and all-weather lifeboats can be housed in the same building, as currently the inshore lifeboat is stored separately on Princess Mary Promenade.

Keith Turnbull, RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager at Bridlington, said: ‘It will be an historic occasion when we launch from the lifeboat station for the first time. Our volunteer crew is currently undertaking an extensive period of training ahead of the arrival of our new Shannon class lifeboat in November. Even though the boathouse isn’t operational yet we do hope that people will pop into our new station shop to say “hello”.’

Councillor Stephen Parnaby OBE, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: ‘This is a milestone moment in this project and the start of another chapter in the RNLI's long and proud history in Bridlington. The new lifeboat station will ensure that the organisation can continue its important and lifesaving work for many years to come.’

RNLI Photo caption
The images show Bridlington RNLI’s new lifeboat station. Credit: RNLI/Lloyd Evans.

Notes to editors

1. Bridlington RNLI’s new lifeboat station was designed by long-established York architects Brierley Groom and built by Malton-based contractor Scothern Construction Ltd.

2. Bridlington’s new Shannon class lifeboat Antony Patrick Jones and her launch and recovery system are due on station in November 2017 (exact date TBC) when the charity’s current all-weather lifeboat Marine Engineer will reach the end of her operational life.

3. Bridlington RNLI’s previous all-weather lifeboat station started operating in 1903.

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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.

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