Tis the season to be jolly

IT is a Christmas tree that needs no decoration.

But these Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) volunteers made a good job of assembling their very own seasonal effort.

As they will be on call around the clock over the festive season, it was perhaps a good idea for the members of the Anstruther RNLI to tuck into some seasonal treats slightly early.

They were pictured getting together ahead of the festive period for practice drills and exercises – and a couple of mince pies – at the Lifeboat Station in Anstruther, Fife.

All the crew members are volunteers and will be on call 24/7 during Christmas and New Year to provide emergency rescue service in the Firth of Forth and along the east coast of Scotland.

In Scotland last year alone, there were 1,159 lifeboat launches and nearly 1,000 people assisted by the RNLI.