BEMBRIDGE Lifeboat Station will be hosting a programme of activities for Yellow Welly Week, which starts next week.
The event will support the RNLI’s Respect the Water campaign — a national initiative to reduce water-related fatalities, be it on the sea, beaches, rivers or lakes.
Currently, the figure averages around 160 per year, but the aim of the campaign is to half that by 2024.
During Yellow Welly Week, there will be free daily activities in Bembridge, starting on Sunday, May 28, running until Sunday, June 4.
The programme will be educational and fun, designed to offer help and advice for all users of the marine environment, from lifejacket ‘clinics’ for boat users and advice for coastal dog walkers, to information on coastal walking, fishing, kayaking, beach safety and all marine activities.
On a less serious note, youngsters will have the chance to dress up in junior lifeboat crew kit, as well as have a go at rescuing the teddy and enjoy storytelling.
If you’re a bit of a wanger, why not take part in one of the week’s main attractions, the beach welly-wanging contest on Saturday, June 3.
Organisers also hope to have members of the lifeboat crew on hand to share their experiences and there will be guided talks on the lifeboat and its operation, carried out by members of the RNLI Lifeboat Guild.
It is also planned to display the restored Queen Victoria I lifeboat — which served Bembridge from 1887 to 1902 — at the station on Friday, June 2.
Information of daily events will be available at the RNLI shop, on the guild’s stall at the Bembridge Street Fair and on various posters around the village.
All proceeds from the event will go towards providing crews with kit and equipment.