Outside visit

On the 19th of October members of the Yeo Vale and Yeovil Rotary clubs had a guided tour of the RNLI flagship college at Poole, Dorset.

A real gem in the crown of the service catering for the training needs of its 200 plus lifeboat stations in the British Isles. At a cost of some £2million, the centre was opened by HM The Queen in 2004 and boasts state of the art simulation equipment, classrooms, a training pool capable of replicating all sea states in day or night conditions and, if that’s not enough, they have Poole harbour to practice in. The centre has a restaurant and café and 66 hotel bedrooms for the students. These facilities are also available for use by the public, including use of the public function rooms for weddings or meetings.

Phil, our volunteer tour guide is an ex-RAF air traffic controller and trainer amongst other things and gave us a comprehensive history of the RNLI, its funding and training aims. He also crammed us into the all-weather lifeboat simulator and took us on a rescue mission in Dover harbour.

A very enjoyable and informative day out.