Newquay lifeboat volunteers saving lives with RNLI and ambulance service

The nine RNLI crew members perform a variety of roles at the lifeboat station, from trainee crew and deputy launching authority to helm on the charity’s two inshore lifeboats. When they aren’t responding to their RNLI pagers, they are kept busy performing a variety of roles in the ambulance service across the South West and beyond, from volunteer community first responder and paramedic to Deputy County Commander.

Ashley Mann joined Newquay RNLI in 1992 and works as South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWAST) Deputy County Commander and paramedic, responsible for operations across the 17 ambulance stations in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. As recently as 11 May, he responded as part of the lifeboat crew and helped save an unconscious diver two miles off Newquay. Ashley said: ‘Growing up locally, I’ve always loved and respected the sea and wanted to give something back to community life, and being on call with the lifeboat fits in with my lifestyle as an emergency service worker’.

Christian Brown, who has been part of Newquay lifeboat crew since 2005 is a volunteer RNLI helm and works as an Operations Manager with SWAST, responsible for helicopter, motorcycle and event operations across the region. He said: ‘Being a lifeboat volunteer allows me to use the skills from my full-time job in a very different way. It certainly has its moments, with many a missed family meal or birthday party, but it’s a privilege to be part of the RNLI’.

Two of Newquay lifeboat station’s newest recruits, Shelley Pearce and Abi Wild, joined the RNLI in 2017. Shelley does bank shifts as a technician with South Central Ambulance Service in Buckinghamshire, as well as working as a retail supervisor in Newquay. She said: ‘ I joined the lifeboat because something was missing after leaving full-time employment with the ambulance service, and I enjoy the opportunity to be there for people when they need help’.

Abi is a paramedic with the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) based in Exeter and responds to calls across the region. She said: ‘When I’m not working as a HART paramedic, a lot of my down time is spent in or on the ocean, so it’s always been a dream to join the RNLI. The lifeboat crew is a proper family. Their skill and dedication is inspiring and fun to be around and I’m super proud to be part of the team’.

The full list of Newquay RNLI volunteers involved with the ambulance service is:

• Ashley Mann, RNLI helm and SWAST Deputy County Commander/paramedic
• Christian Brown, RNLI helm and SWAST Operations Manager/paramedic
• Abi Wild, RNLI trainee crew and SWAST paramedic with the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART)
• Brian Adamson, RNLI crew and SWAST paramedic working in Plymouth
• Stuart Wray, RNLI shore crew and SWAST Emergency Care Assistant (ECA)
• Phil Mckenna, RNLI deputy launching authority and SWAST ECA
• Kev Goulding, RNLI deputy launching authority and SWAST volunteer community first responder
• Shelley Pearce, RNLI trainee crew and technician with South Central Ambulance Service
• Mike Martin, RNLI helm and student paramedic at Plymouth University

Notes to editors

Please find attached, pictures of six of the nine RNLI volunteers in their lifeboat kit and ambulance uniforms respectively (L-R Brian Adamson, Kev Goulding, Shelley Pearce, Mike Martin, Ashley Mann and Christian Brown). Credit: RNLI/Newquay.

RNLI media contacts

Please contact Andrew Hobkinson, RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer at [email protected] or mobile: 07880 507464 or Emma Haines, RNLI Regional Media Officer at [email protected] or mobile: 07786 668847. Alternatively, you can contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.

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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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

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