RNLI College
| RNLI College | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the RNLI | |
.JPG) | |
  Map of Dorset showing the RNLI College | |
| Former names | Lifeboat College |
| General information | |
| Type | Training facility |
| Address | West Quay Road, Poole, BH15 1HZ |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 50°43′03″N 1°59′16″W / 50.7174°N 1.9879°W |
| Elevation | 2 m (7 ft) |
| Current tenants | RNLI |
| Construction started | January 2003 |
| Completed | 2004 |
| Inaugurated | 28 July 2004 |
| Cost | £18 million |
| Client | RNLI |
| Owner | RNLI |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 5 |
| Design and construction | |
| Structural engineer | Faber Maunsell |
| Main contractor | Dean and Dyball |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
The RNLI College (formerly Lifeboat College) is the national training centre of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in Poole, Dorset, England. It opened in 2004 and provides training for crew members and lifeguards.
History
[edit]The RNLI has around 9,700 volunteer lifeboat and shore crew personnel. The RNLI receives no government financial assistance.
Construction
[edit]The turf was cut in January 2003. It was built by Dean and Dyball of Hampshire.[citation needed] It was opened by the H.M. The Queen on 28 July 2004 as the Lifeboat College.[1][2]
Location
[edit]It is situated on the west side of Holes Bay, off the A350. Directly to the north is the large Asda Poole. On the opposite side of the road is the RNLI Support Centre. Also nearby is the RNLI All-Weather Lifeboat Centre (ALC) which opened in August 2015.
Facilities
[edit]It is a residential college and has sixty bedrooms.[3] It has an annual cost of around £1.1 million. It aimed to train around 4,000 people a year, although around 1,500 are currently[when?] trained each year. It often hosts exhibitions and conferences with organisations unconnected to the RNLI, such as trade exhibitions. It has a 120-seat auditorium.
The Sea Survival Centre has a 25 m × 12.5 m (82 ft × 41 ft)-deep wave pool.[citation needed]
A lifeboat simulator, with a five-metre-radius cylindrical visualisation screen with Digital Light Processing (DLP), was provided by Antycip Simulation UK of Oxfordshire.[citation needed]
Cultural impact
[edit]On 5 February 2014, CBBC series 2 episode 3 of Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom visited the college, with instructor Matt Cridland. It was filmed on 24 September 2013.[citation needed]
See also
[edit]- Poole Lifeboat Station
- RM Poole, Royal Marine training facility
References
[edit]- ^ "Royal opening for lifeboat centre". BBC News. 28 July 2004. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ "2004: RNLI College opens". RNLI College. RNLI. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ "RNLI's Lifeboat College Opens". Maritime Journal. 1 November 2004. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
External links
[edit]