VOLUNTEERS are being sought to come forward to join Lyme Regis RNLI as the group prepares for crew members to retire.

The RNLI is looking for committed volunteers to help the work of the life-saving charity.

Ideal recruits, men and women, should have a good standard of fitness and preferably be aged between 18 and 40 years old. Those who want to become part of the crew also need to live and work in Lyme Regis or Uplyme, in order to be able to get to the lifeboat stations safely but promptly, in an emergency.

Lifeboat operations manager at Lyme Regis RNLI, Nick Marks, said: “We are planning ahead because some of our crew will be retiring.
Everyone is a volunteer, of course, and needs to commit to roughly ten to 12 hours a month for training and other events.

“Commitment is the key to being an RNLI volunteer, and in return for that we can promise a challenging role in a very friendly atmosphere.”

Many RNLI crew members tend to be self employed, but in some cases employers are happy for volunteers to leave work when their pagers sound the alarm.

Newcomers would join as shore crew, helping with the general running of the lifeboat station while being trained and attending courses with a view to ultimately becoming sea-going crew.

Some 35 volunteers run the Lyme Regis RNLI operation, and they come from all walks of life – including carpenters, builders, decorators, landscape gardeners as well as those who help in retirement.

So far this year, the Lyme Regis crew have answered 22 calls for help including people being cut off by the tide, people trapped on a cliff and coming to the rescue after a speedboat suffered a mechanical failure.

Anyone interested in joining the crew should make contact by calling 01297 442230 and leaving a message, or by writing to Lyme Regis Lifeboat Station, The Cobb, DT7 3JJ, or by e-mail to lyme-regis@rnli.org.uk