New lifeboat station opens doors

The lifeboat station replaces one of the oldest in the UK

A new lifeboat station has been officially opened on the Wirral, but the fund-raising continues.

The new station at Hoylake has been the focus of a £2m campaign to raise cash to support the work of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

The fund-raising is continuing to help buy a new lifeboat. It aims to reach the halfway point of £1m by December.

James Bond star Daniel Craig is among the campaign's supporters - he lived on the Wirral as a boy.

Childhood memories

The actor has written the foreword for a new RNLI brochure publicising the appeal.

In his message, the 40-year-old recalls his childhood memories of the old Hoylake lifeboat station and how used to hang out there with his friends.

Founded in 1803, Hoylake RNLI lifeboat station is one of the oldest lifeboat stations in the UK.

However, the existing lifeboat building which dates back to 1899, is too small and out of date to house the next generation of lifeboat.