Weston RNLI Needs extra Shore Crew

Weston Lifeboat's Shore

Crew Team Needs New Recruits

Weston Lifeboat station is holding an Open

Day to encourage new shore crew.

Weston

Lifeboat Station is looking to recruit new members for its Shore Crew team to help

launch the lifeboats, recover them and make them ready for service again.

Based

on Birnbeck Island, both Weston's lifeboats sit on trailers that are connected to

specially adapted all terrain tractors. These vehicles, that are capable of going

into the water themselves, manoeuvre the boats and trailers down a concrete slipway

on to the foreshore and directly into the water. We need to strengthen our team

of people to drive the tractors, supervise their movement during the launch and

recovery, prepare the trailers for the recovery of the boats and to help clean,

re-fuel and prepare the boats again after recovery. Both boats must always be left

ready to go to sea at a moment's notice!

Anyone

interested must be under 65 years, have a current UK driving licence and be physically

fit. They must live and work locally in the Weston area and be available 24 hours

a day 7 days a week to answer the call when required. This does not mean of course

that you can never leave Weston again, simply that you are available the majority

of the time! If you are employed then you must have the support of your employer

to leave work if an emergency call comes during working

hours.

The

station's Operations Manager Pete Holder said "This would suit someone who

has perhaps retired early and is looking for something new to give time to and to

get involved with an extremely worthwhile operation." He went on to say that

"experience is not necessary, all training will be provided. Commitment, team

spirit, flexibility and keenness are however essential!"

Weston

Lifeboat Station is holding an open morning on Sunday 18th April. Anyone

interested in joining the shore crew, or indeed being considered for the boat crew,

is welcome to come along and meet the station team to find out more about what is

involved. The morning will start at 10 am with a welcome briefing and then you will

be shown round the station and given an opportunity to meet

the team and ask questions.

Access

to the lifeboat station on Birnbeck Island is restricted so more details about the

open day and how to attend is available at www.westonrnli.org.uk.