A BLUE plaque has been unveiled at a Poole hotel to mark its historic association with the town's volunteer lifeboat crew.

Poole Mayor Xena Dion attended the unveiling of the plaque at the Antelope Hotel, which was organised and supported by the Society of Poole Men.

The hotel in Poole's Old Town was the initial muster point for the first lifeboat crews in 1865, and continued in that role until 1882.

Wednesday's plaque unveiling was also carried out to mark 150 years of the RNLI in Poole.

A Society of Poole Men spokesman explained: "Crews would gather at the hotel to be taken by a horse brake - a fast cart - to their boat which was stationed at what is now the Royal Motor Yacht Club site at North Haven Point, Sandbanks.

"The crews used to be alerted by a rocket and then run to muster at the Antelope to start the trip round the harbour.

"In 1882 a new lifeboat house was constructed at Fisherman’s Dock on the quay, the rest is history."

Since then volunteer crews of the RNLI have been launching into one of the largest natural harbours in the world for 150 years, providing a lifesaving service in the surrounding waters.

The spokesman continued: "Today, the station has both an inshore lifeboat, launched from a floating boathouse, and an all-weather lifeboat. The crews have been presented with 22 awards for gallantry."

Poole Lifeboat Station reached a milestone on June 15, 2014, by carrying out its 5,000th 'shout'. Poole is the first RNLI all-weather lifeboat station to achieve this landmark moment.

During its 150-year history the charity’s lifeboats in Poole have saved more than 800 lives and rescued more than 4,000 people.