THE great-grandson of former town mayor Thomas Webber made a visit to Falmouth Lifeboat Station as part of their trip to the UK from their home in the Bahamas.

Thomas Webber was Falmouth’s mayor when the town’s first lifeboat, the City of Gloucester, arrived in April 1867.

The lifeboat was formally launched at the Docks on August 28 of that year after it had been paraded through the streets of Falmouth drawn on its carriage by 12 horses with the lifeboat crew seated in the boat.

The Royal Cornwall Gazette reported that thousands of people witnessed the event which included a demonstration of the lifeboat’s capsize capabilities.

That evening, a dinner, hosted by Falmouth mayor Thomas Webber, was held at the Falmouth Hotel and the guest of honour was RNLI secretary Richard Lewis.

Apart from the historical link, his great grandson Chris Lloyd had another reason for visiting the station, as he is the operations manager for Bahamas Air-Sea Rescue Association (BASRA) in Nassau, Bahamas.

He explained: "BASRA is a non-profit organisation dedicated to saving lives at sea throughout The Bahamas, and I have also acted as Fleet Captain and full-time volunteer for the past 25 years."

Chris and his wife Jane were welcomed to the station by Falmouth RNLI Coxswain Jonathon Blakeston and Falmouth RNLI Lifeboat operations manager Nick Lewis after which they were given a tour of the station and both lifeboats.

During their visit, Chris was presented with a copy of the book Falmouth Lifeboat 150 years of saving lives at sea signed by Jonathon Blakeston and the authors.