New RNLI lifeboat kit tailored for female crew for first time.

The RNLI has unveiled new all weather kit for lifeboat crew that for the first time includes a version tailored to female sailors.

The first new kit for lifeboat crew in 28 years is designed to be warmer and lighter, but will also feature items deliberately made for the growing number of female volunteers.

The lifeboat charity''s estimated 500 female crew have until now had to make do with standard men’s clothing which can prove cumbersome and bulky for some, restricting their movement.

A female version of new kit provided by clothing firm Helly Hansen has been tailored around the waist and chest to fit more closely and also adapted to allow female crew to go to the lavatory more easily.

Alice Higgins, a 30-year-old volunteer at Weymouth lifeboat station who spent more than a year testing the new kit, said: “The old kit was quite heavy and not very breathable. This is a lot warmer, you stay dry, you don’t sweat a lot and it’s a lot more comfortable.”

RNLI has around 4,800 volunteer crew, of which around 500 are women.

Ms Higgins said: “The new kit has a version tailored for female crew members. This ensures the clothing fits better and is comfortable to wear, which is important as we can be out on a shout for hours at a time searching for casualties.”

She said she had tested the kit in heavy seas and wintry conditions during rescue missions over the past winter.

The new kit is due to be rolled out in September to all RNLI stations with an all-weather lifeboat, as well as the Tower and Chiswick lifeboat stations on the Thames.