RNLI leaves 'ageing' site after two centuries

An RNLI crew has handed over the keys to its "ageing" lifeboat station which has been its home for more than 200 years.

Based at Spurn Point in East Yorkshire, the Humber Lifeboat Station has been the only one with a full time crew, the RNLI said.

The station at Spurn Point has been handed over to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust which owns the Spurn National Nature Reserve, a three mile (4km) stretch of land it describes as "Yorkshire's very own Lands End".

RNLI Operations manager for the Humber Region David Scott said it was "quite an emotional day" and added: "We have to remember all the people that have served at Spurn, all the generations, something that'll never be forgotten about."

RNLI Regional Estates Manager Gary Aarnes-Olsen added: "It is an end of an era. I don't think you can get away from the emotion of people that lived here.

"There's people on crews today who were children living here."

The RNLI has been based at Spurn Point since 1810 but the charity said ageing infrastructure meant it was no longer commercially viable.

The rescue team made a permanent move to Grimsby Dock in February 2024 with its Severn class lifeboat.

Anna Heslop from RNLI North and East said, following a "good response" to a recent recruitment campaign, there was a desire locally to volunteer for the charity.

"At the heart of the RNLI's achievements over the last 200 years, volunteering is what we do and how we do it, so we're excited to be able to offer new volunteering opportunities to our communities in Grimsby," Ms Heslop said.

Further south along the coast, work is under way on a new station at Cleethorpes where the charity provides an inshore lifeboat service.

David Craven, regional manager for Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said: "The RNLI have been a valued and welcome tenant and partner, based on the very tip of our Spurn National Nature Reserve and we were sad to see them relocate to Grimsby after 200 years."

Mr Craven said the buildings used by the RNLI would pass into the ownership of the trust.

"We understand there will be a great deal of interest in their future, and we are taking to time to carefully consider the next steps to ensure a sustainable future for the site," he added.

"I think the history of the RNLI and the lifeboat is firmly etched into the fabric of Spurn Point," said Mr Scott, who lived at Spurn for a year as a volunteer lifeboat member.

"It's something that we're not going to forget."

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