New Quay RNLI station has taken delivery of new Helly Hansen crew clothing for use on their all-weather lifeboat.

The new kit, costing around £1,500 per crew member, includes safety boots, warm underlayers and a waterproof outer layer.

It replaces the old all-weather kit, which was developed 25 years ago, with a new layering system designed using state-of-the-art Helly Tech fabrics.

The innovative clothing system is both very light and very strong, keeping crew members safe, warm and dry when saving lives at sea.

It is also the first lifeboat kit to be specifically tailored, with different designs for men and women.

Station mechanic Bernie Davies said: “We are really pleased to have received our new kit. It is amazing, really lightweight and breathable.

“It is more comfortable and will give us greater freedom of movement.

“It will let us do our job easily out at sea when we are under pressure and have to focus on the task in hand.”

The new all-weather lifeboat crew kit – which is being rolled out to all of the RNLI’s 128 all-weather lifeboat stations across the UK and Ireland – is supplied by Helly Hansen as part of their strategic partnership with the RNLI.

Roger Couch, New Quay’s lifeboat operations manager, said: “Our volunteer crew will now be kept warm and dry in all-weathers while onboard our Mersey class all-weather lifeboat, the Frank and Lena Clifford of Stourbridge, which has been serving here since the early 1990s.

“It is essential our crew is properly kitted out and not hindered in any way by their clothing. The new design is fantastic.”

As part of the strategic partnership with the RNLI, Helly Hansen has committed to supporting the RNLI for the next five years through a variety of life-saving activities.

These include delivering drowning prevention messages to their customers, generating income, supporting fundraising and safety campaigns, product innovation and supplying the very best kit to the RNLI’s lifesavers.