ONE OF THE RNLI’s busiest inshore lifeboat stations in Scotland will open its doors to the public on Saturday, July 7.

Kinghorn lifeboat covers both the Edinburgh and Fife sides of the Forth.

The station’s annual open day, which will run from 1pm-4pm, always proves popular among locals and visitors.

It also represents the station’s biggest fund- raising event of the year, giving people the chance to see the lifeboat up close and meet the crew who have already responded to 31 rescue calls this year.

“We hope that as many people as possible will come along on what promises to be a very special and enjoyable day,” said Leanne Fisher, a member of the volunteer crew.

“We always look forward to our annual open day when we can show off the Frederick Robertson, our 24ft long, Atlantic 75 rescue craft—the fastest in the RNLI fleet.

“It allows people to see our boat, speak with the crews and have some good old fashioned fun and games.”

The boat will be just one of the attractions on display, however, with a host of other activities such as an inter-service tug of war, a rescue display, static displays by the emergency services and a variety of stalls.

This year, the Ship Tavern will also be supporting the event by holding a barbecue.

The RNLI operates more than 320 lifeboats across the UK and Republic of Ireland, launching on average 21 times and saving two lives every day of the year.

Many of the rescues involve people visiting the coast from inland.

Nearly 2000 rescues last year also involved people in distress who were not on board a vessel of any kind but who had been cut off by high water, were swimmers, divers or who had fallen off cliffs and piers.