Cornish volunteers had an extra reason to celebrate as Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visited the National Coastwatch station at St Agnes Head.

Her Royal Highness is Royal Patron of the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI), a charity run entirely by volunteers. Her visit to St Agnes Head provided an opportunity to recognise the dedication of local volunteers and the vital role they play in helping to keep people safe around the coast.

NCI St Agnes Head is one of National Coastwatch’s stations around the coast, where volunteer watchkeepers maintain a daily visual and radio watch, looking out for anyone who may be in difficulty or potential danger. Coastal safety incidents are reported to HM Coastguard, enabling appropriate emergency assistance to be coordinated, including Coastguard Rescue Teams, the RNLI and other emergency services.

Her Royal Highness was welcomed to the station by Stephen Hand, NCI Chair, who introduced Station Manager Mark Weston. Mark then introduced Technical Officer Paul Rafer, who, although not a watchkeeper, plays an important role in keeping the station’s equipment operational, together with duty watchkeepers Caroline Pitura and David Tarrant.

From this important vantage point, the St Agnes Head volunteers maintain a watch over one of Cornwall’s most rugged stretches of north coast. Their observations providing valuable early information to HM Coastguard when someone is in difficulty.

During her visit to the lookout, Her Royal Highness was briefed on the vital work undertaken by the St Agnes Head volunteers, the particular coastal risks encountered along this stretch of the Cornish coastline and the challenges of operating the lookout off-grid.

The NCI Lookout at St Agnes Head provides vital coverage of the coastline from Trevose Head to Godrevy, as well as the South West Coast Path. Following storm damage to essential equipment at the start of 2024, the station launched a fundraising appeal to help ensure it could continue its important role in coastal safety.

Thanks to generous public support and a successful application to the Cornwall Council Prosperity Fund, more than £17,000 was raised. This enabled the volunteers to replace damaged equipment and undertake a programme of much-needed improvements, restoring the lookout to full operational capacity.

Following her visit to the lookout, Her Royal Highness travelled to Driftwood Spars in St Agnes.

NCI Regional Trustee Helen Simpson formally welcomed Her Royal Highness and introduced the proprietor of Driftwood Spars, Louise Treseder. Her Royal Highness was then introduced to the attending St Agnes Head watchkeepers and invited guests. The guests included Ray Lomas and Gillian Stratton from neighbouring NCI Portscatho; Kevin Wrye, NCI Sector Manager, Paul Kimberly, St Agnes Parish Council Chair, Catherine Nutting, Clerk to St Agnes Parish Council, Perran Moon, MP for Camborne and Redruth, Dougie Stein and Daniel Grant from RNLI St Agnes, Lucy Draycott and Susie Laity from HMCG.

NCI Chair Stephen Hand introduced the long-service award recipients, who were then presented with their awards by Her Royal Highness in recognition of their dedication and commitment to the organisation.

In recognition of their dedication and commitment to the organisation, Her Royal Highness presented long service awards to Helen Simpson (20 years), Stephen Barry (10 years), Rachel Ellis (5 years), and Kathy Cullingworth (5 years).

The visit concluded with Stephen Hand thanking Her Royal Highness before she departed Driftwood Spars.

Mark Weston, NCI St Agnes Head Station Manager, said:

“It was a tremendous honour for us to welcome Her Royal Highness to St Agnes Head. The visit was a proud moment for the whole team in recognition for what we do and the hard work to restore the lookout. Our volunteers give their time throughout the year to maintain a watch over these challenging coastal waters, and Her Royal Highness’s visit was a wonderful acknowledgement of their efforts and the valuable service they provide to the local community.”

Stephen Hand, NCI Chair, said:

“It was a pleasure to welcome HRH The Princess Royal to NCI St Agnes Head and we are grateful to her for taking the opportunity to meet our volunteers and learn more about the lifesaving work they carry out along this beautiful stretch of the Cornish coastline.”

“St Agnes Head is a wonderful example of the dedication and resilience of our volunteers, who work tirelessly to help keep people safe on the coast and save lives at sea. We’re privileged that HRH The Princess Royal, as our Royal Patron, takes such an active interest in our work, and her visit provides a special opportunity to celebrate with our volunteers, friends and supporters from the local community.”

Photos Courtesy of Ben Fletcher