Open all Hours Nearly all of the Institution's 215 lifeboat stations held a special open day during the Spring Bank Holiday Weekend, most of them opening on the Sunday, 28 May.

An estimated 65,000 people visited lifeboat stations around the entire coast of the UK and Ireland this year, the first time that there has been a co-ordinated campaign to have all stations open at the same time.

The photograph shows Lymington lifeboat station (which opened on the Monday, and was also celebrating its 30th anniversary) with its Atlantic 21 temporarily under the command of the 1 st Winchester Brownie Pack - with lifeboat launcher Duncan Hall keeping a close eye on things from the port bow!.