The crew and volunteers of the Severn Area Rescue Association's (SARA) Sharpness Lifeboat Station are holding their Open Day on Sunday, August 29.

The volunteers of this fantastic local charity need your help and support so that they can continue their important work - going to search-and-rescue emergencies in all weathers and at any time of the day/night, 365 days a year.

The lifeboat crews need many skills and will be demonstrating these on the day. You can try your hand too - do you have the skills to operate the launch crane? What's it like to experience a high-speed ride on the River Severn in one of the bigger lifeboats?

This is a great opportunity to meet the crew, talk to them and get a real understanding of their great work.

There will be a fantastic range of activities to entertain the whole family. Children love the excitement of lifeboats and the Open Day will be a day for them to remember.

Kids' activities include: 

• Lifeboat rides on the lake
• The opportunity to clamber over the bigger lifeboats and talk to the brave crews who search and rescue
• Challenges for kids and their grown-upsKids' quizzes
• Burgers, cakes and soft drinks!

There are quite a few things for adults to do and see as well!

So, please come along and support the lifeboat crew at The Old Dock, Sharpness, GL13 9UB. Doors open at 10am on the Sunday morning and they expect to finish about 5pm. Parking and entry are free.

SARA operates six lifeboat and rescue stations, covering the Severn Estuary and River Severn from west of the M4 bridges, upstream via Gloucester to north of Kidderminster.

SARA is the second largest lifeboat service in the UK, after the RNLI. It has about 200 crew, all of whom are volunteers and willing to attend emergencies at any time of the day or night, 365 days a year.

SARA has about 100 emergency call-outs a year, including both water and land-based search and rescue incidents.

The charity is almost wholly dependent on donations from members of the public and local businesses.

In addition to emergency call-outs and twice-weekly training, the crew at SARA Sharpness are regularly present in local town centres, talking about their work and rattling their all-important collection buckets.

The pandemic restrictions have had a big impact on the crew's ability to fundraise, so this year's Open Day at Sharpness will be crucial for overcoming the shortfall in the charity's funds.

For further information, see SARA's website at www.sara-rescue.org.uk/sharpness  or follow on Facebook @SARASharpness