DOZENS of people flocked to Hamble to celebrate a major milestone.

Residents enjoyed lots of cake and a glass of bubbly at the celebration for the Hamble Lifeboat’s 50th birthday on Saturday.

Tours of the station and rescue demonstrations were held during the day.

The Hamble Lifeboat, which is run by 25 volunteers, covers 50 miles of local coastline including areas such as the central Solent, Southampton Water and all connected rivers and was founded by Hamble resident Nick Robinson.

His daughter Janet Motherwell attended the celebration and said: “I’m glad we got this far. I can’t believe it’s 50 years already. It doesn’t feel like this.”

The event was also attended by residents who had been rescued by the lifeboat crew including Lorna Lovett and her husband Pete.

, who travelled from the Midlands to take part in the event.

She said: “The reason I’m here today is just to help promote the service. We were out on a boat in the Solent and Pete jumped off the boat and got injured. They came within minutes. Without them I don’t know where we would be now.”

The celebrations took place at Hamble lifeboat station and the nearby Royal Air Force Yacht Club.

Trustees said the event was also an opportunity to thank the community for the support they have given to the crew in the past decades.

Nick Rose, chairman of trustees, also praised the work done by volunteers and said: “Volunteers give up their time and their sleep to help those who are in trouble. It’s a team effort.”