City MP Stephen Morgan has said volunteers at RNLI Portsmouth Lifeboat Station are the “unsung heroes of our community” for their vital work.
Mr Morgan made the comments on a visit to the lifeboat station where he met the volunteer crew and explored the station’s lifesaving equipment up close.
Portsmouth Lifeboat Station has been providing search and rescue for the eastern Solent since 1965. The crews have won four medals for gallantry and currently operate two inshore lifeboats.
Last month, Portsmouth RNLI invited members of the public to visit the lifeboat station for their annual Open Day.
On the day, visitors enjoyed lifeboat demonstrations featuring Portsmouth RNLI’s Atlantic and D class lifeboats, as well as vintage lifeboats and lifeboats from neighbouring stations. Volunteers led guided tours of the lifeboat station, giving the public a chance to see the station’s launch tractors up close and learn what it takes to keep the charity’s lifesaving equipment in peak condition.
Commenting on the visit, Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said:
“I greatly enjoyed visiting RNLI Portsmouth Lifeboat Station to meet with the volunteers who crew one of the busiest stations in the country.
“They really are some of the unsung heroes of our community, providing a 24-hour search and rescue service and saving lives at sea.
“On behalf of everyone in Portsmouth South, I was delighted to share my thanks to them in person for everything they do to keep people safe.”
Earlier this year, Mr Morgan met with local-born Olympic swimmer Katy Sexton MBE to encourage improved water safety in Portsmouth.
The RNLI is the charity that 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.
