THERE is an opportunity to see Barrow’s sea rescue craft in action on Sunday and support the generations of volunteers who have been here to help keep us safe or more than 150 years.

The Barrow RNLI Lifeboat Gala is being held from 1pm to 4pm at Roa Island and to mark the event we are taking a look at pictures from The Mail archive of previous gala days and the events at the rescue base.

This year’s gala offers a chance to see the rescue team going through its paces and there will be plenty of stalls and attractions on the green, off Marine Terrace.

There will be a free park and ride service using a vintage bus from the Barrow Transport Group – leaving the paddock, opposite the Clarkes Hotel at Rampside.

The first lifeboat station on Roa Island was in 1864 at what is now the Bosun’s Locker café.

Later homes included the Roa Island Watchtower which was under construction in October 1847 and was built as a lookout post for Customs and Excise officials.

In 1879 the customs authority was paying £30 a year rent for it and four officials were based on the island in 1886

The Duke of Kent performed the official opening ceremony at the latest Royal National Lifeboat Institution base on Roa Island in July 2001, which replaced one close by.

Until 1840 Roa Island was part of the Rampside Hall Estate owned by the Reverend John Hutchinson.

In 1840 London banker John Abel Smith bought Roa Island.

His aim was to run a ferry service from Piel to Fleetwood, linking to a rail service between Glasgow and London.

He made an embankment causeway to carry a rail line from Roa Island to Concle “To connect Roa Island with the neighbouring Island of Great Britain.”

By 1847 he had built a pier from Roa into deep water.

From May 1848 Helvellyn was operating from Piel Pier to Fleetwood. The service was daily in summer and three times a week in winter

In 1852 Piel Pier was badly damaged in a storm and the Furness Railway was able to buy all Smith’s property holdings for a bargain £15,000.