Volunteers are the heart of the community

NCI St Donat’s Bay

Since 2020 a group of sea-loving Vale of Glamorgan volunteers have set up and run a National Coastwatch Station to overlook the coast at St Donat’s Bay in the Vale of Glamorgan, based at the seafront of UWC Atlantic. Today’s volunteer watchkeepers are the eyes and ears along the coast, keeping people safe.

The station, is manned by volunteers from the local community, College staff and students making it unique within the NCI. It has 43 watchkeepers and has trained over 30 college students. Watchkeepers at the station monitor all water-based and shoreline activities, reporting to HM Coastguard any potential concerns they see that could put people’s lives in danger, be it a vessel sinking, a faller along the rocky shoreline or vulnerable souls cut off by the tide. Since opening in on May 7th 2021, the station has been involved in 24 incidents working closely with the Coastguard, RNLI Lifeboats and Rescue Teams and other emergency services. The watchkeepers have logged nearly 10,000 vessels in nearly 12,000 hours of watchkeeping.

“Our Watchkeepers are extraordinary volunteers,” says Station Manager Neil French. “They are a team of people who’ve quickly become part of the heart of the seafront, working alongside search and rescue teams to protect people’s safety. Our volunteers learn new skills while making new friends and we all feel really lucky to be part of something so special.”