Lady of Hilbre to move into new Hoylake lifeboat station

Feb 4 2009 by Lorna Hughes, Heswall News

HOYLAKE’S lifeboat is moving to a new home this week.

The Lady of Hilbre will leave her present station at the bottom of Alderley Road on Saturday morning for the new Hoylake lifeboat station.

The lifeboat will launch on exercise as usual at 8am before being transferred to the lifeboat station at around 10am.

The building has a revolutionary underfloor heating system to reclaim heat stored in the sand outside the station, warming crew accommodation and drying out clothing and boots.

Coxswain Dave Whiteley said: “The facilities in the new boathouse are fantastic, and having the tractor and boat already coupled will cut down on response times.

“Local people have been very generous and have already helped us raise almost £1m.”

The first Hoylake lifeboat station was built on the beach in 1803. The wooden structure was succeeded by the present building in 1899.