A total of 200 children from Ryde School and Bembridge Primary School were on hand to celebrate the RNLI's 200th birthday at Bembridge RNLI Lifeboat Station this afternoon (Monday).
Bembridge RNLI launched its lifeboat at around 1pm, with the inshore vessels also circling the pier.
The lifeboat station was founded in 1867, and since then its crews have launched 2,398 times, saving 948 lives in the process.
In strong winds, the pupils waved flags to the delight of a throng of onlookers who visited to mark the occasion.
A service of thanksgiving was taking place in Westminster Abbey at the same time, which was attended by John Keyworth - Lifeboats Operation Manager at Bembridge RNLI Station.
In its 200-year history, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has relied on the spirit of volunteers and donations from the public to grow into one of Britain's best-known charities.
Sunday (May 3) had seen the Island’s Lord Lieutenant, and President of the Lifeboat Board, Susie Sheldon, together with High Sheriff Dawn Haig-Thomas and Isle of Wight Council Chair Claire Critchison, join more than 80 worshippers including senior RNLI staff, in a service which included the
‘national première’ of a well-known seafarers’ hymn.
At their Sunday service, Isle of Wight RNLI Crew and supporters also commemorated the wreck of the Sirenia on Atherfield Ledge in March 1888, during which three lifeboatmen and two crew members of the stranded vessel lost their lives in appalling conditions.
You can find out more about Bembridge Lifeboat Station and it's services via the official website.