LIFEBOAT volunteers are celebrating their recent success.

Barry Dock RNLI has had a busy week with several people passing their lifeboat assessments.

  • Gareth Atkins has passed his inshore lifeboat tier two assessment
  • Andy Gavan passed his all-weather lifeboat tier two assessment
  • Lisa Mair Jones passed her inshore lifeboat level one assessment
  • Rich Simpkins passed his all-weather lifeboat tier one assessment
  • Dan Searjeant passed his all-weather lifeboat tier one assessment

Further afield RNLI Penarth volunteer Cliff Taylor has been presented with the RNLI tie and Guernsey jumper to mark his successful pass out as shore crew at the station.

Mr Taylor overcame obstacles on his journey – he joined the crew in March 2020 which meant he carried out most of his training during various lockdowns.

He is also training as a tractor driver to operate the two vehicles that launch Penarth’s D-class and Atlantic 85 lifeboats.

Shore crew members play a vital role at the lifeboat station. When the pagers sound and the volunteer lifeboat crew members jump into action, the shore crew assist with preparing the lifeboats, drive the launching tractors, and ensure that the boats are launched safely.

When the boats return from service, the shore crew recover and rehouse the lifeboats, ensuring that they are ready for service again as soon as possible.

Lifeboat Operations Manager at RNLI Penarth Lifeboat Station, Jason Dunlop, said: “We are delighted to congratulate Cliff on his passout as shore crew, and for his continued hard work supporting the station’s ability to launch our lifeboats and provide a lifesaving service at any time of day or night.”

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea, with its volunteers providing a 24-hour search and rescue service around the UK 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.