Duchess opens new lifeboat base

Whitby's new £1m lifeboat station was being officially opened by the Duchess of Kent on Friday.

The new base replaces a 100-year-old station, known to crew members as "the old tin shed", which was deemed inadequate for 21st Century needs.

The Duchess has a long affiliation with the RNLI in the town and has named three of its previous lifeboats.

A station spokesman said the new site would make it easier to launch vessels and bring casualties to shore.

During Friday's ceremony the Duchess will also unveil a bronze bust of Whitby's most celebrated lifeboatman, Henry Freeman.

Freeman was the sole survivor when 12 of the lifeboat's 13 crew died in a storm on 9 February 1861 - his first day in the crew.

In 1880, he was awarded the silver medal after launching his vessel in a hurricane four times to vessels in distress, saving the lives of 22 people.