Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

Radio Merseyside,14 Jul 2026,7 mins

The World's First Lifeboat Station

Hidden Merseyside

Available for over a year

Today, Formby is known for its sweeping beaches and sand dunes, but 250 years ago this coastline was one of Britain's most dangerous. In this episode of Hidden Merseyside, Nikki Robertson discovers how a small coastal community became home to what is believed to be the world's first functioning lifeboat station, meeting historian John Phillips to uncover the courage, innovation and ordinary people whose legacy helped shape organised lifesaving at sea.

Programme Website
More episodes