What’s been happening at Clovelly Lifeboat Station

After a relatively quiet winter at Clovelly station, things have been getting busier, with three shouts in the past week. 

With our inshore lifeboat, the majority of our callouts are to incidents such as walkers cut off by the tide, yachts in distress, and swimmers, paddleboarders, and kayakers who have gotten into difficulty - so the pagers always start sounding once the waters around the village start getting busier.

Behind the scenes, our training programs are ongoing, with crew members Phil van Kuffeler and Paul Smale being put through their paces ahead of qualifying as helms. 

So far, they have passed assessments on commanding, anchoring, towing, firefighting and more, and are preparing for mock pass outs in July when their knowledge will be put to the test across a range of scenarios.

But that’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to our exercises, with almost 20 crew members at various stages of their training schedules.

Like the other RNLI stations in the UK, we’re busy celebrating the charity’s 200th anniversary this year. 

In April we took part in the Connecting our Communities event, walking a special scroll created to mark the occasion along the coast path to our flank station at Appledore.

And on 11 May we welcomed RNLI Vice President Sir Hugo Swire and trustee Lord Mark Sedwill for an eventful visit, during which our volunteer crew responded to a Mayday call.

We’re also deep into planning our annual Lifeboat Day, due to take place on 4 August.

There will be music, games, and entertainment, as well as an opportunity to tour the station and learn more about our work saving lives at sea. 

And we’ve already filled more than half of the spaces for our annual sponsored swim on 8 September, a two-mile challenge from Clovelly slipway that’s one of the most important events in our fundraising calendar. 

If you’d like to find out more about entering, please contact suzi_marsh@rnli.org.uk.

This year, we’ve also recruited a new station visits team, with the aim of opening up our station for more visits and tours.

If you’re interested in taking a peek behind the scenes, you can book a tour by contacting our Visits Officer Andy at andrew_mitchell@rnli.org.uk.

It takes volunteers of all backgrounds and abilities to keep a lifeboat station ticking over, and we’re always looking for more people to join the team at Clovelly. Currently we’re recruiting for a Lifeboat Operations Manager, responsible for overseeing operational activities at the station, and Launch Authorities, responsible for authorising the launch of the lifeboat.

If you would like to find out more about either of these roles - or other volunteering opportunities available at Clovelly station - please contact our Area Manager Phil Hill at phil_hill@rnli.org.uk.