Little and Broad Haven Lifeboat Station officially reopens after refurbishment

RNLI volunteers from the crew, shop and fundraising branch came together on Saturday 7 September with other supporters of the station to celebrate the formal reopening after a major refurbishment over the winter months.

To mark the occasion the children of the operational crew members and supporters were asked to cut the ribbon to mark a series of improvements that help make the station fit for purpose in the 21^st century. There were also presentations to those that had kindly supported the station during redevelopment works, to allow the service to continue in a temporary location and continue the 24/7 response that the RNLI offers to save lives at sea.

Lifeboat Operations Manager Andy Grey said of the occasion:

‘The station opening was extremely successful. Not only the weather held out, but personnel from the station including officers and crew, branch members and shop volunteers were in attendance along with guests from our neighbouring RNLI stations. The occasion truly represented the ‘One Crew’ philosophy. To make it even more special the children of the crew were invited to formally open the new refurbishment of the station. A lovely gesture but also a great memory’.

Area Operations Manager Roger Bryan Smith DL commented:

‘I am absolutely delighted that Little and Broad Haven Lifeboat Station has been refurbished to such a high standard. The crew devote an immense amount of their spare time to training to save lives at sea, and it’s marvellous that they now have such great facilities. The lifeboat shop has been modernised as well, giving our volunteers a much better working environment’.

Also in attendance were Gemma Gill, Coxswain of Fishguard Lifeboat and Will Chant, Coxswain of St.Davids station, who were on hand to make the presentations and show their support for the new station in Little Haven. The ceremony had a strong sense of community throughout and handing over the baton to the next generation of lifeboat crew, who will be using these new facilities in the future to carry out the lifesaving work of the RNLI.