Norfolk volunteers who help save lives around the coast had an extra reason to be cheerful on Tuesday 14th January 2025 when Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visited the National Coastwatch station at Brancaster.

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal is Royal Patron of the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI), a charity run entirely by volunteers. It celebrated its 30th anniversary of helping to save lives around the coast in 2024.

It is the Princess Royal’s first visit of 2025 to an NCI station, having visited seven last year including NCI Cromer in Norfolk. NCI Brancaster’s new station building overlooking the sea from the grounds of the Royal West Norfolk Golf Club has now been running for nearly three years.

NCI Brancaster’s volunteers raised the £40k needed for the new ‘eco building’ in just two years, with support and grants from the community. Supporters included King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council, Ørsted Wind Farm, Norfolk Community Foundation and a donation of CCTV equipment from CTS Security in King’s Lynn.

Sustainability was at the heart of the specifications for the new station. It is well insulated and has solar panels, air source heat pump, storage battery and where possible, the majority of equipment has been sourced locally.

The Princess Royal was received at the station by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Norfolk, Lady Philippa Dannatt MBE. She presented NCI Chair, Stephen Hand who introduced Station Manager, John Allen.

John escorted Her Royal Highness into the station’s watch room for a briefing about what it took to establish the new building, the work of the highly-trained volunteer watchkeepers and their part in helping to save lives around the coast. Duty watchkeepers, John and Hilary Warwick were also presented.

All 2,800 National Coastwatch volunteer watchkeepers help to keep people safe and save lives at sea by maintaining a daily visual and radio watch of the coast, looking out for anyone in potential danger. They report any coastal safety-related incidents to HM Coastguard so that expert help can be sent, including the Coastguard Rescue Teams and helicopters, the RNLI, independent lifeboats and all emergency services.

After visiting the station, The Princess Royal attended a reception at the nearby Royal West Norfolk Golf Club.

The reception was attended by around 25 NCI Brancaster watchkeepers, NCI Sector Manager Peter Keesom as well as NCI Trustees Linda Lawrence, and Ian Whalley

MBE. Volunteers from the local RNLI and Coastguard Rescue Team were present as well as guests from the National Trust and the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority.

The local community was further represented by the Chair of Brancaster Parish Council, the Commodore from Brancaster Staithe Sailing Club, the Secretary, Men’s Vice Captain and Women’s Captain of the Royal West Norfolk Golf Club and local supporters of NCI Brancaster.

The Princess Royal then unveiled a plaque to mark her visit to the station.

Stephen Hand, NCI Chair, formally welcomed Her Royal Highness to NCI Brancaster and thanked her for her visit.

“Once again, we have been very honoured to welcome Her Royal Highness to an NCI station. Her visit today marked the start of just the third year of NCI Brancaster working to help save lives along the coast.

“In its short two-year history, the station has been involved in no less than 41 search and rescue incidents. Her visit has been a source of enormous encouragement and motivation to our volunteers, and it also gives us a special opportunity to celebrate with our volunteers, friends and supporters from local communities,” he said.