SCIENCE MUSEUM, SOUTH KENSINGTON FEBRUARY 21-APRIL 21 OPEN: WEEKDAYS, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

SUNDAYS, 2.30 p.m.-6 p.m.

FOR TWO MONTHS in the spring of its 'Year of the Lifeboat' the RNLI is staging an exhibition at the Science Museum, South Kensington, designed to show something of the great advances made in recent years in the design of lifeboats and their equipment—and who could have been more appropriate to open such an exhibition than Raymond Baxter, so widely known for his work on the BBC programme 'Tomorrow's World'? He very kindly stepped into the breach at the last moment when Norman St John Stevas was prevented from coming by election commitments.

Raymond Baxter is himself a tireless worker for the RNLI, and in his very happy opening speech he also admitted having once found himself in difficulties when his steering gear failed among the shallows of the Thames Estuary; as was only to be expected, two lifeboatmen appeared ('in an inflated hot-water bottle') and quietly and calmly did all that was necessary. Mr Baxter added that in his experience lifeboat people were without exception 'very gentle gentlemen'.

The central exhibit of 'The Modern Lifeboat' is a Blue Peter Atlantic 21 ILB, and there is also a mock-up of a 52' Arun Class wheelhouse, as well as photographs of all the other modern self-righting lifeboats. Displays of equipment include engines, electronics, first aid, survival food and clothing.

The designer of the exhibition was Frank McNichol, and the project officer Jack Sims..