Hunstanton Lifeboat Station welcomes Austin Healey owners

A group of classic car enthusiasts showed their support for the charity that saves lives at sea when they visited a Norfolk lifeboat station on Sunday 6 April.

Members of the Austin Healey Club UK were given a tour of Hunstanton Lifeboat Station and its craft.

Some 50 fans of the classic 1950s, 60s and 70s sports car were staying at the Le Strange Arms Hotel, where a raffle the previous evening raised £425 for the RNLI.

Jonathan Woodrow from the Austin Healey Club UK presents the raffle proceeds to Kate Craven from Hunstanton RNLI, with club members and lifeboat crew in the background. Credit: RNLI/Chris Bishop

After breakfast on Sunday, they were given a talk by Kate Craven, the station's visits officer and water safety lead, about the work of the Hunstanton crew.

They then came to look around the launch tractor and its carriage, while hovercraft pilot Leesa Espley fired up the asset to show how it can reach casualties in inaccessible areas at low tide by floating on air.

Jonathan Woodrow, the Austin Healey club's chairman for the Southern Counties area, said members stayed at the Le Strange Arms every year whilst on their annual Daffodil Run event.

'This is our 33rd year and we thought it was time we came to visit the RNLI as we see you on exercise every year,' he said.

'I used to sail and I'm aware you can just go down the beach and things can very quickly go wrong.

'It's people like the crew here who make it safe for people like us.'