Lincolnshire volunteers are celebrating their charity’s ‘first’ on a double day of visits by Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal to National Coastwatch stations at Cleethorpes and Mablethorpe on Thursday 23 October.

Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal is Royal Patron of the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI), a charity run entirely by volunteers and there is an ongoing programme of Royal visits. It is the first time that visits have taken place at two stations on the same day,

There are 61 stations along the coastline of England and Wales, from where the charity’s 2,800 volunteers keep 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.

NCI Cleethorpes is NCI’s newest station and like Mablethorpe, it looks directly over the expansive Lincolnshire Coast which has a high tidal range and popular beaches. It opened this summer, part funded by a generous donation from the Stelios Foundation and already has 45 volunteers. It is currently in a temporary location until funds and permissions for a permanent station can be secured.

NCI Mablethorpe opened in 2009 on the North Beach and will move to a permanent, two storey purpose-built facility in 2026. In addition to Cleethorpes, NCI operates two other East Coast stations at Skegness and Chapel Point and along the Norfolk Coast as well as stations further north at Filey and Hornsea.
The Princess Royal was received at both stations by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Lincolnshire, Mr Toby Dennis. He presented NCI Chair, Stephen Hand who introduced Station Managers, Rob Druce at NCI Cleethorpes and Paul Panter at Mablethorpe.

Her Royal Highness visited the watch room at both stations for a briefing about the watchkeepers’ work. After visiting the stations, The Princess Royal attended receptions at the Cleethorpes Golf Club and the Bacchus Hotel at Sutton on Sea.
At the receptions, Her Royal Highness met NCI volunteers including highly trained watchkeepers plus individuals from partner organisations including HM Coastguard, RNLI and Lincolnshire Police as well as members representing the local community.
Also present were NCI Trustees, Ian Whalley MBE and Linda Lawrence, local supporters and North East Lincolnshire District Council and East Lindsey District Council.
The Princess Royal unveiled plaques to mark her visit to the stations and presented long service awards to:
10 years: Jerzy Kwinta, Richard Wilson (NCI Mablethorpe)
5 years: Peter Smith, Colin Wingfield, Richard Hickling
At each reception, Stephen Hand, NCI Chair, formally welcomed Her Royal Highness to NCI Cleethorpes and NCI Mablethorpe and thanked her for her visit.
“Your Royal Highness, as NCI Chair it is an honour to welcome you to our stations in Lincolnshire, and we are especially honoured to welcome you twice in one day. Your visits are always a huge boost for everyone involved and they really help to raise the profile of the work of our dedicated volunteers on this very busy stretch of coastline where our stations are an integral part of the local community. We are all extremely grateful for the time and commitment that you give to NCI,” he said.