A NEW volunteer at Weymouth RNLI lifeboat station has been put through his paces as part of a rigorous training exercise.

Justin Measures recently travelled to the RNLI College in Poole to complete the Lloyd’s Register Foundation trainee crew course.

A key part of the course is the sea survival element, which sees new volunteers trained in a number of crucial subjects.

Among other skills, new recruits are taught how to abandon ship with a four metre jump into water, how to cope in a liferaft in simulated darkness, and the importance of lifejackets.

Mr Measures said: “The course was really great.

“It brought it home to me how difficult it is to do even the simplest of tasks when you are suffering from the cold that being in the water at this time of year brings on very quickly.”

He added: “I enjoyed meeting other crew members from around the country and swapping experiences from our different stations.”

Training took place in the Sea Survival Centre, which includes a wave tank and a fire-fighting simulator.

This allowed Mr Measures to experience first-hand some of the scenarios he may encounter at sea as a member of the lifeboat crew.

The Lloyd’s Register Foundation has funded the sea survival element of the trainee crew course since January 2011, and will continue to do so until December 2015.

A new £1m donation enabled Mr Measures to carry out his training, and brings the charity’s total support to just over £1.5m.

John Harvey, RNLI Lifeboat operations manager for Weymouth lifeboat station, said: “The support given by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation is hugely important to the RNLI. We are grateful that it has chosen to fund sea survival training, which teaches vital core skills to our volunteer crew.”

Mr Harvey said this training was central to allowing the RNLI and its volunteers to stay safe on rescue missions.