By NCI’s Chairman, Stephen Hand

Today is the start of Volunteers Week and at National Coastwatch (NCI) we are exploring ‘The Value of Volunteering’ for both individual volunteers and the communities we serve.

NCI now numbers over 2,800 volunteers based at 60 stations, all sharing the same aim of helping to save lives at sea and along the coastline of England and Wales. All NCI members are volunteers, and each one is an important part of our history and our future. Founded in 1994, we recruit people in coastal communities and train them in skills which help them to play a vital part in maritime search and rescue.

In 2024 we assessed that 347 people were rescued from danger in incidents involving NCI watchkeepers. We are also continuing our roll-out of plans to help improve coastal safety, with teams trained to help deliver coastal safety advice within their local communities. Thanks to all those volunteers in NCI whose fantastic efforts have made this progress possible and to Trinity House who have so generously helped funding our coastal safety work

With the help of our technology partners, we are stepping up our programme of investing in technology and the expansion of our station network so that, working with HM Coastguard and the RNLI, we can help to keep even more people safe around our coasts. We are extremely grateful to our technology sponsor Sirius Insight who have provided so much to enable this expansion and to Baltic Exchange, Nuclear Waste Services Ltd and many other organisations who continue to fund the development of our station network.

All that we do at NCI is intended to add value to the service we provide to the community and add value to the confidence and satisfaction of our volunteers. We will marking this important week with stories from some of our dedicated volunteers from around the charity who will share what the value of volunteering means to them.

Stephen Hand
NCI Chair