It was a day of celebrations on Tuesday 6 May 2025 for the Cornwall volunteers who help save lives around the coast when Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visited the National Coastwatch station at St Ives.

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.

NCI St Ives opened in 1999 and in 2010 it received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS), the highest award given to voluntary groups in the UK, equivalent to an MBE. The station stands high on a promontory, allowing the volunteer watchkeepers to maintain a watch over the whole of St Ives Bay ranging from Godrevy lighthouse in the north to Clodgy Point in the south.

All 2,800 National Coastwatch volunteer watchkeepers help to keep people safe and save lives along the coast 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.

It is one of 13 stations in Cornwall, all of which are on the South West Coast Path and are popular destinations for walkers keen to get their passports stamped as a record of their route.

The Princess Royal was received at the station by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of  Cornwall, Sir Edward Bolitho. He presented NCI Chair, Stephen Hand who introduced Station Manager, Jonathan Mills and Deputy Station Manager Paul Edwards.

Jonathan escorted Her Royal Highness into the station’s watch room for a briefing about their work and the particular coastal safety challenges at NCI St Ives including the Stones Reef, moving sandbars and very strong tides which can pose a danger to swimmers. Duty watchkeepers, Margaret Neal and Nigel Mawditt were also presented.

NCI St Ives has a crew of over 50 fully trained watchkeepers who monitor all the coastal activity during daylight hours, with an emergency team on 24/7 standby.

After visiting the station, The Princess Royal attended a reception at the nearby Tregenna Castle Hotel. The reception and use of the facilities were generously donated by the hotel.

The reception was attended by around 60 NCI volunteers, as well as representatives from NCI’s Cornwall-based national office and nearby National Coastwatch stations at Cape Cornwall, Gwenapp Head, and Penzance. NCI Sector Managers Jim Jeffries, Kevin Wyre and regional Trustee Helen Simpson.  

Also present were maritime search and rescue partners including HM Coastguard, RNLI and the RNLI lifeguards. The local community was further represented by Mayor of St Ives, St Ives Town Council, Devon and Cornwall Police and the local supporters of NCI St Ives.

The Princess Royal then unveiled a plaque to mark her visit to the station and presented epaulettes to Kevin Wyre, Sector Manager and long service awards to: 10 years: Susan Barraclough, Margaret Neal, Judi Haggerty 15 years: Mick Haggerty.

The Princess Royal also presented the NCI Certificate of Merit, the organisation’s highest award to Karin Stratford of NCI Gwenapp Head for her prompt action over a concern for two people and a yacht in difficulties, resulting in a successful rescue.

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

“Your Royal Highness, as NCI Chair it is an honour to welcome you to NCI St Ives on behalf of the watchkeepers of this and three of the neighbouring Cornish stations.

“Your visit is the source of huge motivation and encouragement to our volunteers in their work of helping to keep people safe along this busy stretch of the Cornish coast and we are extremely grateful for the time and commitment that you give to NCI,” he said.