By Jake Lanning, West Bay Coastguard Rescue Team

The first week of June was National Volunteers’ Week and it only seemed appropriate to dedicate this column to the thousands of men and women that make up the ranks of the coastguard rescue service - all volunteers, 3,500 of them to be exact, spread across 380 teams dotted around our coastline. With stations located in the largest cities and on the smallest rocky outcrops, these officers give up their time selflessly to serve their local communities, and go to the aid of strangers in their time of need.

With such a large group of volunteers comes an equally varied melting pot of occupations, life experience, ethnic backgrounds, ages and gender and it’s this diversity which gives the coastguard its strength. From the 30 year veteran down to the raw recruit, everyone has something to give and you know what? It works! It’s how the coastguard want it to work and how it’s always been.

Dating back to 1809 when the ‘Preventative Water Guard’ was first established, the service has always been made up of volunteers from the local community. Back then, the primary objectives were to prevent smuggling and assist in the event of a shipwreck. But while the role of the service has evolved into the modern day coastguard that it is today, the core foundation of the dedicated local volunteer has remained.

It’s not just responding to emergencies where this commitment stops. Our volunteers give up their time to train and attend courses, to maintain stations, vehicles and equipment, to provide visible safety patrols, attend PR events and also go out into the community to educate the current and next generations.

I am humbled by the time our volunteers give, and this is a service and a team that I’m truly proud to be a part of.