RNLI Aldeburgh and Lowestoft crew celebrate 200th birthday

Ali Norman has volunteered with RNLI Aldeburgh for 29 years

A Suffolk lifeboat station's first female crew member said she wanted to inspire the next generation of rescuers.

Ali Norman has worked for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) at Aldeburgh for three decades.

The RNLI will celebrate its 200th anniversary on Monday.

Ms Norman said: "It's absolutely fantastic to be part of that history and to take it forward to the next generation."

The RNLI was formed on 4 March 1984 and is celebrating 200 years

The RNLI has three stations in Suffolk at Aldeburgh, Lowestoft and Southwold, and another 235 across the UK.

The organisation is estimated to have saved more than 146,000 people in its 200-year lifespan.

"Those people have gone on to lead really good lives and have families of their own, so it's making a difference and doing the right thing," she said.

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Ms Norman said there were a few calls in her 29-year service that really stood out to her.

"One would be a fisherman trawling up a World War Two bomb and we had to wait for the bomb disposal team to come and make everything safe," she said.

As well as saving lives at sea, part of Ms Norman's role is to educate school children and the community about the dangers of the sea and how to keep themselves safe.

"One of my school children was really inspired by the RNLI. I said 'would you like to come and sit in the boat with me?'... and now he's a helmsman, so it's firing [up] that next generation."

Henry Carter said he was "pretty certain" the RNLI would be around for another 200 years

Henry Carter is the operations manager at RNLI Lowestoft, which is one of the oldest stations in the UK.

"We all joined for the same reason: to save lives at sea," he said.

Mr Carter has volunteered with the RNLI for 43 years, starting as an active crew member in 1981.

The Lowestoft team has already responded to 11 calls this year and Mr Carter said: "While people still go to sea, there'll still be a need for the RNLI, without a doubt."