Matt makes 6 for Filey RNLI

Following an intensive training programme, Matt took Filey’s Mersey Class all-weather lifeboat (ALB), Keep Fit Association, in a biting northerly gale today (Wednesday 16^th May) for his pass-out as a Coxswain under the watchful eye of RNLI Assessor, Gary Bird.

Matt is the sixth member of the current crew here at Filey to pass-out as an ALB Coxswain; the others being Barry Robson, Dave Eblet, Neil Cammish, Alex Harrison and Richard Johnson (currently at Oban). It makes the Filey crew quite unique in the level of qualifications they have achieved and it is expected that a further two crew members will have become Master Mariners before the end of the year.

Matt, who has worked in the Merchant Navy and currently operates his own fishing boat out of Scarborough, comes from a family that has always been connected with the sea. He joined Filey Lifeboat when he was 18 years old and is also a helmsman for the station’s inshore lifeboat.

John Colling, Filey Lifeboat Operations Manager, said: “The whole station is very proud of Matt’s achievement. I am really honoured to be the Lifeboat Operations Manager at a lifeboat station where the crew are so highly skilled. They are also all very enthusiastic about the lifeboat and keen to pass on their knowledge to new members of the crew. Now having 6 ALB coxswains available will allow us to be very flexible in the way that the boat is manned. Matt has proved himself to be an all-round excellent lifeboat crew member and is a credit to Filey and the RNLI”

Notes to editors

Filey Lifeboat Station was founded in 1804. It currently operates both a Mersey-Class All-Weather Lifeboat and an Inshore Lifeboat. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to Filey Lifeboat Station Facebook page

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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