Hayling Island RNLI raised a significant amount of money at their annual open day

The Hayling Island RNLI hosted their annual open day last weekend on July 31, where hundreds turned out for the occasion.

The successful event saw between 300 and 400 people get involved in raising £3927 which will be put back into the RNLI service.

The day saw three lifeboats take to the sea as they performed rescue manoeuvres and techniques that are used on a day to day basis.

Each display saw a flock of people rally to get a glimpse of the boats and Selsey’s new Shannon class ALB also came down to get involved in one of the displays.

Damon Repton, lifeboat operations manager at Hayling Island Lifeboat Station, said: ‘It’s great to see so many people at the lifeboat station enjoying themselves and having fun, but also learning more about how to keep safe in the water and what to do if they see someone in difficulty.’

The Hampshire and IoW Fire Rescue Service, the local Coastguard, Hampshire Search and Rescue dogs and Chichester Harbour Conservancy were all in attendance to support the lifeboat service.

Stormy Sam, the RNLI mascot, also made a welcome appearance and was seen driving the tractor and fire engine, and posing for photos with the families.

The event also put on food for the many with an array of homemade cakes, as well as ice cream, burgers and hotdogs.

Damon added: ‘The crews at the lifeboat station were very happy to talk to the many visitors, and were pleased to see so many smiling faces throughout the day. See you all next year.’