Wells lifeboat launches major recruitment drive

Could you join our team? We are looking for new volunteers to join us and are seeking people with a wide range of skills and backgrounds. If you think we could be for you and you have time to give, we want to hear from you.

We are seeking operational crew for the lifeboat, shore crew to help launch and recover our lifeboats, deputy launching authorities, fundraisers, a deputy press officer to help raise peoples’ awareness of what we do, ‘saving lives at sea’ and a community safety officer, to promote safety awareness in the community.

Soon we’ll be taking delivery of a new, state of the art lifeboat, RNLI’s Shannon Class, which will require additional volunteers to keep her in tip-top condition like our current Mersey Class, Doris M Mann of Ampthill which has been the station's all-weather lifeboat and is still in pristine condition even though she’s been in service for nearly thirty years and has been involved in more than 150 rescues. Although she has been up-graded, she is still thirty years old and is well overdue for replacement. There will also be a new boathouse which, apart from housing the lifeboats, will have upgraded facilities for the crew and shore helpers and will allow greater access to the public. It will have it’s own gift shop which will require additional staff to run it.

That’s why we need people like you. So on Saturday, 19 October, we are holding a Volunteer Recruitment Event at the current boathouse at the bottom of Beach Road, Wells-next-the-Sea, between 11.00 am - 3.00 pm. Come down and see us, talk to people like you and meet our volunteers, we can tell you what’s involved and what’s to be gained by becoming part of the Wells Lifeboat Station RNLI family. You don’t have to live in Wells. We have a number of volunteers who live quite a long way from the station.

It would help if we know you are coming as we have limited free parking available for the event. Email us at [email protected] or ring the Boathouse on 01328 710230 and we will look forward to welcoming you. You can also visit www.volunteering.rnli.org where the vacancies are listed.

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.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.