Eyes along the coast
The National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) is a voluntary organisation set up in 1994 to restore a visual watch along UK shores after many small Coastguard stations closed due to Government cutbacks. NCI is a registered charity and controlled by a board of Trustees with a Constitution agreed by the Charities Commission.
In 1994 when two fishermen lost their lives off the Cornish coast below a recently closed Coastguard lookout, local people decided to open and restore the visual watch. When the first station was opened at Bass Point on the Lizard, NCI was born. During the next ten years other stations followed and at the start of 2010 there were thirty nine operational stations keeping visual watch around the coastline of England and Wales.
In March 2005 NCI Headquarters was told that there was a possibility that the old coastguard station at Worms Head might become available to lease. Someone in NCI Headquarters knew the Gower Peninsular and was able to advise the Trustees that the Look Out was set in a very beautiful but also very dangerous coastline.
A 15 year lease on the building was finally signed in May 2006 and in June 2006 NCI visited Swansea and started a publicity campaign. On 1st August a public meeting was held in Middleton Village Hall and was attended by twenty people. A follow up meeting was held on 5th September and after these two meetings 19 volunteers joined NCI Worms Head.
NCI Worms Head with its 19 volunteers set itself the target of opening as an operational station in time for the Easter Week end 2007. That meant just thirty weeks to get everything up and running, with a large number of those weeks in the winter!
The training of volunteers wasn’t a problem, the equipment and materials needed were readily available but in other respects there were problems. The Look Out was showing signs of having been unoccupied for some considerable time, there was no running water, electricity, telephone, heating and no toilet! All this and a one mile walk from the car park at Rhossili! The saving grace was the view.
What was needed was a weather proof Look Out, equipped with binoculars, telescopes, hand bearing compasses, VHF Radio, short range Walkie Talkie Sets, a chart table and charts, maps of the local area, power for the radios, an accurate and automatically updating clock, a weather station, loud hailing equipment, smoke canisters, high visibility jackets, some sort of domestic arrangements to allow for making tea and to wash up afterwards, furniture, secure storage facilities for the equipment, some form of heating and, of course, a toilet!
The one slight snag in all of this was the lack of money, but NCI Headquarters helped with an interest free, start up, loan. The volunteers themselves set to raise money through collecting boxes in local shops and the organisation of events such as coffee mornings, bridge meetings and, as the weather improved garden parties.
They also let local businesses, clubs and organisations know what they were aiming to do and why, and all of these organisations helped out with generous donations.
It took more than 1,000 man hours of volunteer time to refurbish and secure the building. A bank of batteries was installed along with trunking and wiring to feed the equipment plus the means to collect and recycle water from the roof.
Finally, one week ahead of target the NCI Worms Head Look Out opened as an operational station in time for Easter 2007.
Today the station is manned 365 days a year by a 48 strong group of volunteers. These volunteers come from all walks of life and include retired members of the Royal and Merchant Navies, engineers and surgeon.
The station is manned by at least two volunteers at each shift and apart from their official duties they are always on hand to give advice and information to the thousands of visitors who come from around the world to visit this area of outstanding natural beauty. A typical shift can include patching up the occasional scraped knee, providing a change of clothes or a towel to some-one who’s taken a tumble into a rock pool and of course a much needed drink to a thirsty dog!
Should a more serious emergency be detected, the Coastguard and Search and Rescue are always on hand. NCI are the “eyes along the coast” who play a very large part in keeping the shores around Rhossili and Worm’s Head safe. Since opening in 2007 they have been involved in 51 incidents and have been responsible for saving the lives of those that have misjudged the turn of the tide or have got into difficulty in the water.
Should you be thinking of walking the worm and want to know when it is safe to cross, either visit the NCI website at www.nciwormshead.org.uk or call 01792 390167 and speak to one of the volunteers. If you are going to visit the worm and stay when the tide turns, please do tell the NCI of your intentions.
Photo: volunteers Alan Richards, David Evans, Mike Relph, Paul Stableforth, Audrey Frank and Darren Powell of the Search and Rescue team
