We were delighted to receive a visit in August from Linda Marr, Chair of House at Fleetwood Golf Club and a past Ladies Captain. The Golf Club is one of our strongest supporters and Linda called in to present us with a cheque for £324, representing the proceeds from a raffle held during a recent ladies’ competition at the Club involving all of the major Fylde golf clubs. Linda agreed to pass on our grateful thanks to all of the members at the Golf Club, and she is photographed here at the presentation with Bob Loynes (Station Manager) and Brian Johnson (Fundraising Officer).

Boost for SAR capability
On Monday the 6th June members of Fleetwood Town Council handed the station a cheque for over £950 to enable us to complete the purchase of a new Search & Rescue package. An incident in fading light last winter involving a small vessel taking on water had highlighted a specific need for watchkeepers to be able to maintain visual contact, and to communicate effectively in poor visibility. This latest generous donation from the Town Council has allowed Fleetwood to enhance its capability by acquiring new binoculars with improved specification for low-light conditions, together with a powerful loudhailer and light. Members of the station are pictured receiving the cheque from Leader of the Council, Terry Rogers and other Councillors.

Royal Recognition for Fleetwood

We are delighted to announce that Fleetwood has been honoured to receive the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2017. This prestigious award is the equivalent of the MBE for voluntary organisations, and is the highest award made to groups in the UK. The station was nominated for the award by Cat Smith MP, and her proposal was given strong support locally – notably by Fleetwood Lifeboat and the Fleetwood Nautical College.
The official citation acknowledges our role in keeping a lookout for the safety of users of the Fleetwood and Wyre coastline, and the National Panel which advises HM The Queen particularly wished to record their admiration for the community work that we do. All of the volunteer watchkeepers share a tremendous sense of pride in having their work recognised by such a wonderful award.

This week after being disappointed at having missed the High Sheriff of Lancashire’s visit to the tower, Lancashire TV (freeview channel 7) came to the tower to explore some of the reasons for he and his wife’s visit the video explains all.

It was a red letter day for Fleetwood on Sunday the 19^th February when we received an official visit from the High Sheriff of Lancashire, John Barnett MBE, DL. John, who was accompanied on the visit by his wife, Danielle, was welcomed by Station Manager Bob Loynes and members of the management team. A highlight of the morning saw the High Sheriff presenting 5-Year certificates and badges to a number of watchkeepers – who were each warmly congratulated on the lasting commitment they have shown to the work of the NCI. This was followed by a guided tour of Fleetwood tower, during which John chose to spend a considerable amount of time meeting watchkeepers on duty and observing our work first-hand. The High Sheriff thanked all of the volunteers for their dedication and remarked favourably on the high standards he observed.