Sheffield: Coastguard exhibition launched to celebrate 200th anniversary

The coastguard's current role is celebrated at the exhibition

A new exhibition to mark 200 years of lifesaving at sea has opened at a museum - in landlocked Sheffield.

The National Emergency Services Museum has worked with the coastguard to develop Guarding the Coast.

HM Coastguard was formed in 1822 and continues to work to save lives at sea, providing a search and rescue service alongside other emergency services.

The gallery "will hopefully give our visitors a real insight into their work", curator Holly Gosling said.

The exhibition aims to reveal the hidden history of the service and celebrate the men and women who have dedicated themselves to working at sea over the years.

Ms Gosling, from the National Emergency Services Museum, said: "It's a really exciting addition to our museum, which aims to celebrate all our emergency services".

The showcase charts the beginnings of the coastguard as an anti-smuggling force

The showcase charts the beginnings of the coastguard as an anti-smuggling force in the early 19th Century, through to its role attending shipwrecks and safeguarding vessels.

It also displays the work across two world wars and the coastguard's modern responsibilities in maritime safety and search and rescue, including a collection of rare objects, it said.

A hands-on activity has been created, showing a mock-up of a boathouse complete with rowing boat.

Parts of the exhibition include hands-on activities

Funded by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency as part of its anniversary celebrations, the collection will run concurrently in Sheffield and at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.

Bev Allen, Humber Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Commander, said HM Coastguard was "incredibly proud" to have reached the 200-year milestone.

"I'm grateful to be part of our dedicated service, working with brilliant colleagues at Humber Coastguard and around the UK day in, day out - including those who work for our partner emergency services - to keep people safe at the coast and out at sea," she added.