Photographs of Newbiggin Lifeboat Day, about 1950s-60s
Reference: NRO 05283/J16/97, 98, 101, 103
Suggested age groups: KS1, KS2
Subject areas: Lifeboats
CONTEXT
Lifeboat Days are held to celebrate the work of the local lifeboat and crew and to raise money to support the work of the lifeboat.
Lifeboat Days usually include entertainment, fundraising stalls such as raffles and tombola, the chance to meet the lifeboat crew, view the lifeboat at the lifeboat house, and a life-saving demonstration at sea.
These photographs show Lifeboat Day at Newbiggin By The Sea in Northumberland. We can see from the crowds in the photographs how popular Lifeboat Days were. The photographs do not have a date but were probably taken in the middle of the 20th century – around the 1950s or 1960s.
NRO 05283/J/16/97 shows the lifeboat at the edge of the sea just about to be launched.
NRO 05283/J/16/98 shows the lifeboat being pulled across the beach before launching.
NRO 05283/J/16/101 shows the lifeboat house or station – the building where the lifeboat was kept.
NRO 05283/J/16/103 shows children standing on the waterfront watching the lifeboat being launched.
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1
Background
Lifeboat Days are held to celebrate the work of the local lifeboat and crew and to raise money to support the work of the lifeboat.
Lifeboat Days usually include entertainment, fundraising stalls such as raffles and tombola, the chance to meet the lifeboat crew, view the lifeboat at the lifeboat house, and a life-saving demonstration at sea.
SEE
See: What is Lifeboat Day?
See: What usually happens at Lifeboat Day?
See: Who attends Lifeboat Day?
See: What is taking place in each of the four photographs?
THINK
Think: Why does the lifeboat need to raise money?
Think: Why are lifeboats important?
Think: Who attends Lifeboat Day?
Think: How much does it cost to operate a lifeboat station?
Think: How much is raised at Lifeboat Day?
Think: Do all lifeboat stations have a Lifeboat Day?
Think: Are Lifeboat Days still popular today?
DO
Do: Choose one of the photographs. Create a spider diagram noting everything that you can see in the photograph.
Do: Use your spider diagram to infer what is taking place in the photograph.
Do: Look at the photographs. Write a monologue from the perspective of one of the people describing the event.
Do: Compare these photographs to photographs on the RNLI website of more recent Lifeboat Days. How have they changed or stayed the same? Are they still as popular?
Do: Create a poster showing the costs of operating a lifeboat station.
Do: Use your poster to work out how much money the lifeboat needs to raise each year.
Do: Plan your own lifeboat fundraising event.
Do: Make some lifeboat bunting.
Resources
OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES
RNLI home page: https://rnli.org/
History of the RNLI: https://rnli.org/about-us/our-history/timeline
RNLI page on Newbiggin Lifeboat Day 2023: https://rnli.org/news-and-media/2023/july/01/countdown-to-lifeboat-day-2023
RNLI page on Newbiggin Lifeboat Day 2022: https://rnli.org/news-and-media/2022/july/31/newbiggin-rnli-fantastic-lifeboat-day