AN ANTIQUE telescope has been gifted to a hard working RNLI crew.

Barmouth RNLI, who have completed over 40 call outs in 2016 so far, were gifted the 150-year-old optical device by Robert Wyn Jones, who has strong links with the local lifeboat station.

Mr Jones is a descendant of one of Barmouth’s oldest families and the great-grand-nephew of Humphrey Jones, the first named coxswain of Barmouth lifeboat, a position he held for 26 years from 1866 to 1892.

Robert’s father, Rhys David Jones, was also coxswain of Barmouth Lifeboat from 1960 to 1967 and Robert himself has served as a member of the volunteer crew.

Robert was recently left a telescope which had been in the Jones family for several generations.

Inscribed ‘National Lifeboat Institution 1861’, it is believed to have belong to Rees Jones of Bryn Peris who was the son of Coxswain Humphrey Jones and served as RNLI secretary and signalman from 1888 until his death in November 1929.

On Saturday 12 November, Robert Wyn kindly donated the telescope to Barmouth RNLI.

“We are very grateful that Robert has decided to make this very generous donation and delighted that this beautiful telescope has been presented to the station,” said a RNLI Barmouth spokesperson.

“We will arrange for it to be displayed in the Museum section of our RNLI shop at the lifeboat station.”