FRIENDS of Borth RNLI lifeboat station pushed the boat out when they celebrated their 50th anniversary at the weekend.

Opened on 14 June, 1966, Borth RNLI lifeboat station, which is operated entirely by volunteers, has enjoyed a stellar half-century helping those in their most desperate hour of need.

Inspired by memories of stranded sailors in the Arctic during the Second World War, one of the station’s founders, Aran Morris, who died in 2009 aged 90, pushed for the establishment of the station because of the length of time it would take rescuers to reach Borth from Aberystwyth or Aberdyfi.

Located at the southern end of Borth beach, a small timber boathouse was initially built to house the station’s D class inshore lifeboat, a small and highly manoeuvrable boat ideal for rescues in fair to moderate conditions.

Without a slipway, volunteer crew members were required to launch and recover the lifeboat manually, a considerable task given the beach’s steep shingle bank.

Initially only operating during the summer months, Borth became an all-year-round station in 1972, and in 1987, a purpose-built brick boathouse was completed.

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