There was a double celebration in Tenby today (Saturday) as the new D-class lifeboat was officially named and the new inshore station opened.

The lifeboat arrived in the town last October to a warm welcome from locals, but the naming ceremony was delayed due to Covid restrictions.

At the ceremony, the boat was named by Melanie Case and her sister on behalf of their mother, Mrs Margaret Guest and has been called ‘Kathleen Ann’ in memory of their late aunt Kathleen Ann Pearson and Mrs Myfanwy Johns who both left generous legacies to the RNLI and requested that it be used towards the purchase of a lifeboat.

Phil Rees, RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager at Tenby said: “The arrival of a new lifeboat marks an exciting milestone in the history of our station.

“Our volunteer crew are ready to launch 24/7 when someone is in trouble and the generous legacies of Mrs Pearson and Mrs Johns means we are able to do this using the most up to date equipment.

“The RNLI relies on public donations and legacy funding like this and the boat has already made a huge difference to our life saving capability,” he continued, stating that the ceremony was another ‘very special day’ in Tenby RNLI’s history, officially marking the next chapter of lifesaving in the town.

This isn’t the first time the building situated on Castle Beach has been used to house a lifeboat, being the site of one of Tenby’s original rowing lifeboats between 1894 and 1905.

The station has been thoroughly modernised inside to provide changing facilites and kit storage, along with toilets and a crewroom, whilst maintaining the external character of the Grade II listed building, along with the re-addition of the slipway for quick access to the beach.