A PARTY atmosphere greeted a vital charity as its gala basked in sunshine at the weekend.

Barrow RNLI celebrated their crucial work at sea with their annual gala day on Sunday.

Hundreds of guests piled onto the Green at Marine Terrace to attend the party on Roa Island and raise money for the charity.

As well as seeing the Barrow lifeboat Grace Dixon in action, visitors were also treated to seeing Fleetwood's Shannon class boat crossing the bay to join in.

John Falvey, RNLI's operations manager at Barrow, praised the public, and their colleagues across the bay, for getting involved in the day.

He said: "The day went really well, and the weather was absolutely superb for it too which made a big change.

"The Green looked really crowded so I'm quite pleased with everything turning out for us.

"It was great to see the crew from Fleetwood joining in. They're our flank station in the south so we go over there for their open days every year too to put on a little display.

"This year they decided to come over here and join in ours.

"It was another great demonstration of how we work with our fellow colleagues."

Among the guests at the gala was Barrow mayor - and local firefighter - Tony Callister.

He said: "First and foremost the weather is fantastic for it, which makes for any good day.

"Working in the emergency services myself I appreciate what the RNLI do provide out there and having a lifeboat station on our doorstep, with all the water we have around us, is invaluable.

"They go out on a regular basis and save people, so I'm more than happy to support this day. It's a very worthwhile charity and it's a pleasure and an honour to be asked to come and support such a great service."

Visitors were able to tour the RNLI's station, based on Roa Island, getting close-up views of lifeboat Grace Dixon.

It was also an opportunity to showcase some of the other vital charities who work closely with the emergency servies.

The Casualties Union delighted the gala's young visitors as they painted horrific wounds, bruises and burns on their arms to highlight their own vital work.

Member Andy Kane said: "We provide trained casualties for all the emergency services.

"It's all done with makeup to create the illusion. Rather than imagine the injuries they get to see it, and it all washes off so it's harmless. There's a few kids running around with these 'wounds' and they love it, naturally.

"We're a charity and what we do is so rewarding because you know it's helping other people get better at their job and that's what we're aiming for.

"They might go a long time without dealing with anything serious, so this is great training for them, much better than just doing it amongst themselves.

"People are learning things from it and if it helps save people's lives then it's all worth it. People make mistakes in training, make them on us and they'll not do it again."

Guests were also able to enjoy a ride on a vintage bus as they travelled over to Roa Island.

LABELLED as 'The charity that saves lives at sea', Barrow's RNLI remains a vital service.

Regularly responding to call-outs from around the area, the group are often needed to prevent disaster.

With the summer holidays always bringing a host of challenges for the group, they regularly make school visits to educated water users throughout the year.

Among their many campaigns in recent years is their Respect the Water appeal, aimed at stopping preventable drownings at sea.

One of the main concerns they focus on is the impact of cold water shock, teaching people what to do if they become involved in dangerous situations.

Mr Falvey said: "We go into schools and do visits with young children and adults to warn them of the dangers and get them educated.

"Prevention is better than cure and we really want to stop preventable drownings.

"Preventing drownings and the many ways they can happen all comes under the banner of our Respect the Water campaign."