RNLI holds services to mark 150th anniversary

SERVICES were held at churches around Scotland yesterday to mark the 150th anniversary of the country's first RNLI lifeboat launch.

From humble beginnings in the north-east in 1858, there are now crews with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in 45 communities.

The charity estimates more than 12,000 lives have been saved by its volunteers over the years.

Last year saw 1,028 launches, making it one of the busiest years since records began.

A service was held yesterday at the Old Parish Church in Fraserburgh, where ten men volunteered to crew the first Scottish RNLI lifeboat 150 years ago. And Andrew Cubie, chairman of the Scottish committee, read at a service at Glasgow Cathedral.