The crew will fling open the doors of the station at Brighton marina from 11am until 5pm, to offer a packed day of events for the whole family, as well as an opportunity to learn more about the charity that saves lives at sea.

Among the days events will be Tony Parsons, television caricature artist who will be sketching open days visitors, Stormy Stan, Lifeboat models, Solent Coastguard's Rescue Helicopter and Cliff Rescue teams and much more.

Members of the public and RNLI supporters young and old will be able to meet the crew members and hear their tales of various rescue missions at sea. There'll be a chance to see pictures and reports of past rescues and information on all aspects of the institution, from lifeboats and lifeguards right through to sea safety education.

Mark Bell, crew member from Brighton RNLI lifeboat, explained: 'We wanted to make our open day as much fun as possible, so we've got all sorts of things going on. At the end of the day, we're showing people that as well as the serious side of the RNLI - saving lives at sea - there's also a really fun side. We already know that children are fascinated by the lifeboats, but here's a chance for bigger kids to get involved too!

Brighton has had an RNLI lifeboat station since the institution began in 1824 yet there are many people who are unaware of their presence and the lives they save. Mark says: 'Brighton is a really vibrant city with so much going on and the sea and the beach as its focal point. Where we struggle in terms of awareness is being situated at Brighton marina, a few miles east of the city centre.

'The irony is we're based there for strategic reasons - to enable us to react as quickly as possible to emergencies at sea - but that's the very thing that can lead to lack of awareness. The purpose of our open day is to remind people that we're here and of the work we do.'

Brighton RNLI crews have launched 57 times in 2008 - one of the busiest years ever - with rescues ranging from broken propellers, boats aground, people overboard, medicals incidents and evacuations, fires and engine failures. In addition, the lifeboat station plays an important role in education, with thousands of schoolchildren visiting each year to meet the crew and find out more about the RNLI.

Brighton lifeboat station open day takes place on Sunday 31st August from 11am until 5pm.

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