Revamped Redcar lifeboat station marked by rescue display

Onlookers saw volunteers winched by an RAF Sea King crew

Hundreds of people gathered to watch a display by air and sea rescue services to mark the opening of a revamped lifeboat station on Teesside.

Rescue vessels from Hartlepool and Staithes joined those from Redcar, where the town's 40-year-old lifeboat station has undergone a makeover.

The display, which also featured an RAF Sea King helicopter, saw volunteers plucked from the sea.

The event ended with a parade of lifeboats over flown by the helicopter.

Dave Cocks from Redcar RNLI said: "It was fantastic to see so many people come down to watch.

"Often the work of the lifeboats goes unseen, sometimes many miles from shore. So this was a great opportunity to see what our volunteer crews train so hard for.

"This is probably the last time we'll be carrying out training with the RAF helicopters before the service is taken over by the coastguards next year.

"The lifeboat station at Redcar has taken everything the North Sea has thrown at it for over 40 years, and the time had come to take action to stop the deterioration.

"The original drab brickwork has been replaced by a very 21st Century exterior."

The original lifeboat station was built in the 1970s