March 2024
Living in a coastal community, we’re all familiar with the wonderful work of the RNLI and the Coast Rescue Teams. Many of us are involved with these valuable organisations, and some even serve as crew or rescue personnel. What you might not realise, however, is that there’s a third link in the chain of services that help to keep everyone safe at the coast: the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI).
NCI is both a charity and a ‘declared asset’ of HM Coastguard, and it counts as one of the emergency services, operating under a memorandum of understanding that defines its relationship with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Its motto is ‘Eyes along the coast’, and this is exactly what its volunteer watchkeepers provide: equipped with binoculars, telescopes, and in some cases radar, they keep watch over stretches of coastline, beaches and estuaries.
Meeting an important need
Although standalone lookout points have existed around the British coast for centuries, NCI started nationally in 1994, following the tragic drowning of two fishermen in 1992 at Bass Point in Cornwall, within sight of a disused coastguard station. It now has 60 stations in England and Wales, staffed by around 2,600 volunteers. A series of reorganisations of HM Coastguard, including a major streamlining in 2011, have seen that service moving into fewer, larger operations centres – currently just three along the south coast of England – and many of its former lookouts have been taken over by the NCI.
Lyme Bay is served by two NCI stations, at Burton Bradstock’s Hive Beach and in Charmouth. The Hive Beach lookout opened in 2010, although in early 2014 a winter storm destroyed the original building – luckily unstaffed at the time – and it was replaced a couple of months later by the current, fully operational lookout. In 2016 one of the management team suggested adding a second Lyme Bay station, at Charmouth, and the trustees agreed. They decided to use an existing building, the Grade II listed octagonal structure on the foreshore by the Heritage Centre. It dates back to the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century and was built as a lookout station; over the years it has also been used as a Customs & Excise observation point, a military lookout during World War 2, and a beach hut.
The Charmouth lookout has space for just one NCI volunteer and is too small to be a station in its own right, so it operates as a ‘satellite’ to the Hive Beach lookout, and all Charmouth watchkeepers also work at Hive Beach. Both lookouts have Declared Facility Status, which demonstrates to HM Coastguard that they have met the required operational standards.
Local knowledge
So what do NCI watchkeepers do? “Our volunteers are always on the lookout for something that just doesn’t look right,” says Judy Clarke, Station Manager, NCI Lyme Bay. “They need to be familiar with what’s ‘normal’ around them, and report anything worrying to the coastguard. The changes to HM Coastguard saw the loss of much local knowledge – including, for example, people on site who knew the local, unofficial names for things – but happily NCI has brought a lot of that back.”
Volunteers are expected to do a minimum of two watches each month. Watch times at both lookouts vary throughout the year but are a maximum of four hours. During the school holidays, watches are extended at both ends of the day; there’s no RNLI lifeguard at either of these beaches so the NCI’s role is particularly important during the long, light days in July, August and early September.
The volunteers – who wear a smart uniform – arrive at the lookout before their watch starts and one of their first tasks is to check in with the coastguard by phone, telling them how many volunteers are on duty and the station’s opening hours that day. They also report the local weather every two hours. That way, if there’s an incident, the coastguard knows what and who they have to call on at the site.
Other duties include manning the VHF marine traffic radio. Staff at both stations are available for anyone to contact during operating hours on Channel 65 for radio checks and queries about local conditions.
“NCI volunteers are often the first link in the chain of rescue: they report something to the coastguard, who decides what action to take,” says Judy. “An incident on the water could result in the RNLI Lyme Regis lifeboat being called out and might involve the NCI volunteer ‘conning’ [directing] the lifeboat to the casualty over the radio. If it’s a rockfall or an animal stuck on a cliff, on the other hand, they’ll task the CRT [Coast Rescue Team]. The Lyme Regis CRT will attend incidents at Charmouth as they’re specialised in mud rescue, while the team from West Bay specialise more in rock rescue. All the agencies work together – and the NCI and CRTs are volunteers. It’s impressive what we can achieve together.”
Want to get involved?
If this sounds like something you’d like to get on board with, you’re in luck, because NCI is always looking for new volunteer watchkeepers. There’s no upper age limit; volunteers just need to be able to access the lookouts on foot (the Hive Beach unit is at the top of some fairly rocky steps) and have good eyesight and hearing (corrected by glasses/contact lenses and/or a hearing aid if necessary). New personnel receive all the training they need to use the charts and equipment and follow procedure. Once in the team, watchkeepers are also expected to help with fundraising activities, as each station is responsible for covering its own expenses. Events include coffee mornings and quizzes plus NCI stands at the Melplash Show and in Bucky Doo Square.
“Our volunteers come from all walks of life,” says Judy. “We are mostly retired but some of the Lyme Bay watchkeepers are still working. You don’t need any particular experience or skills, just a willingness to learn and to work as part of a team, and a desire to keep our community and visitors safe.”
For info about volunteering with NCI, contact Judy Clarke: 07786 354403 / judy.clarke@nci.org.uk. You can also visit www.nci.org.uk or search ‘National Coastwatch Institution’ on Facebook. Visitors are welcome at the Hive Beach and Charmouth lookouts during opening hours (unless an ongoing incident is being dealt with).