A NEW exhibition celebrating 150 years of Poole RNLI will open on Saturday.

The free exhibition, at Poole Museum, promises to tell the story of the lifeboat station's courageous history - its volunteer crew, rescues, lifeboats and kit.

Poole's volunteer coxswain and longest serving crewman Jonathan Clark said: "The whole station is excited that the Poole lifeboat story will be shared and we are very grateful to the Poole Museum for hosting the exhibition, it is quite and honour."

An exhibition spokesman explained how volunteer crews - everyday people from Poole - have been helping those in trouble at sea since 1865.

Exhibition displays include award-winning rescues, such as the lifeboats's involvement in the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk during World War II, through to the modern-day lifeboat service in Poole.

The spokesman said: "At the exhibition of '150 Years of Poole Lifeboat Station' visitors will be able to discover the story of the station's courageous history - get to know its volunteer crew, relive rescues, rediscover lifeboats past and present, and see the kit that has kept the crews safe."

There will be more than 150 exhibits on display, some which have never been under the public gaze before. Exhibits include a collection of the charity's collection boxes, spanning 150 years, models, paintings, medals, photographs, kit and mementos.

The exhibition has been financed by a legacy from the late Alan Inett - father of volunteer crew member Rob Inett -construction company Morgan Sindall and marine specialists Jenkins Marine.

Mr Clark said: "We are also indebted to two of our Poole lifeboat volunteers Anne Millman and Chris Speers, who have worked tirelessly over the past few months to put the exhibition together, things like this don't just happen.

"I would encourage everyone to come down and visit the museum, to share a little bit of our history."

The exhibition runs May 16-August 31, from10am-5pm, Monday to Saturday, and midday-5pm on Sundays.