RNLI Shop and Experience Barry Island

12/10/2026

Did anybody else notice the RNLI collection tin on the counter of the chippy in BBC EastEnders last week?!

Da iawn Ian Beale! It’s nice to see your chippy supporting the RNLI! 😉

09/10/2026

The countdown to our grand Christmas raffle is on!

The preparations are well underway at Barry Dock RNLI’s Visitor Experience and Shop, and Paul has us volunteers all organised and out and about visiting local businesses to collect some fantastic raffle prizes!

In fact, Paul has promised us that this year’s raffle will be our biggest yet – so no pressure, Paul!

This week, Lisa popped along to see Kate and the team at Fine Wines Direct on Penarth Road to collect some lovely prizes for the raffle.

A huge thank you to Kate and everyone at Fine Wines Direct for their generous support. We’re so grateful to all the local businesses helping us make this year’s raffle something special.

Watch this space – tickets will be on sale very soon!

And Paul, we’re holding you to that promise!

07/10/2026

People person? Safety champion? Social media whizz?

We might just have a volunteering role with your name on it…

Barry Dock RNLI is looking for some brilliant new people to join our One Crew – and you definitely don’t need to be heading out to sea in a lifeboat to make a difference!

Love meeting people and having a chat to visitors? Our Lifeboat Visits Team could be calling.

Always the one taking the photos, spotting a good story or knowing what will work on social media? We’re looking for a Social Media Officer with us here the shop and visitor experience.

Forever telling people to check the tide, respect the water and maybe not do that thing they’re about to do? Water Safety Officer could be the role for you.

Three very different roles. One brilliant crew. And one shared purpose – helping to save lives at sea.

Have a look, see what takes your fancy – or tag someone who would be perfect.

Find out more about volunteering with Barry Dock RNLI - https://rnli.org/news-and-media/2026/october/05/people-water-safety-or-social-media-volunteer-with-barry-rnli

Go on… you know you want to join us.

Barry RNLI is recruiting for a range of rewarding volunteer roles, offering opportunities to engage the community, promote water safety and support the charity's mission to save lives at sea.

05/10/2026

Sharing the RNLI story in our community

A huge thank you to St Nicholas with Bonvilston WI for inviting our volunteer crew member Katie along to talk about Barry Dock Lifeboat Station and the work of the RNLI.

It was particularly special to hear how much the group enjoyed seeing Katie standing up and talking about her role as part of a modern lifeboat crew. With members of the WI who themselves have had remarkable careers at a time when opportunities for women weren’t always what they are today, it made for a lovely connection across the generations.

As well as hearing about life at the station, the group supported us brilliantly. They donated £50, collected more than £50 through Betty’s Pots, and a pop-up RNLI shop raised over £200.

That’s more than £300 raised to help save lives at sea – thank you!

Our volunteers love getting out into the community to talk about the RNLI, our lifeboats and the people behind them.

A big thank you to St Nicholas with Bonvilston WI for such a warm welcome – and well done Katie for being a brilliant ambassador for Barry Dock RNLI.

01/10/2026

Did someone say treats?!

With the summer dog restrictions on Whitmore Bay coming to an end TODAY, we’re looking forward to seeing a few more four-legged visitors popping into our RNLI shop and visitor centre.

Well-behaved dogs on leads are always very welcome – and there may even be the odd treat waiting behind the counter! (There’s always a treat behind the counter!!)

And don’t worry, we’re happy to welcome well-behaved owners too!

So, if your walk along the prom brings you past the yellow welly, pop in, say hello and have a browse. Every purchase helps support the RNLI’s lifesaving work.

We’ll see you – and hopefully your dog – soon!

30/09/2026

Tonight! Barry Dock Lifeboat and crew on Saving Lives at Sea BBC2 8pm! Have a sneaky look of filming behind the scenes now!

29/09/2026

Could you help keep people safe around our coast?

We’re looking for a volunteer Water Safety Officer to join the team at Barry Dock Lifeboat Station.

Our crews are there when people get into trouble at sea – but an equally important part of the RNLI’s work happens before anyone needs rescuing.

The Water Safety Officer helps lead our local prevention work, supporting the development and delivery of our Water Safety Plan and working with communities to help people understand the risks around our coastline and enjoy the water safely.

It’s a great opportunity for someone who enjoys working with people, wants to make a difference locally and would like to become part of the wider Barry Dock RNLI team.

Applications close 11 October 2026.

Find out more about the role and apply through the RNLI website: https://volunteer.rnli.org/opportunities/122215-water-safety-officer-barry-dock-rnli-lifeboat-station-2026-09-01

Please share – the right person for the role could be somewhere in our local community.

26/09/2026

Yes, we know this is our second post about Christmas cards in as many weeks, but we’ve had people asking about specific RNLI cards rather than cute robin cards, so we’re doing a bit of ‘show and tell’ 😃

And did you know we even have Christmas cards in Welsh? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

So whoever you’re planning on sending Christmas cards to, pop in and have a browse – and tick one more thing off that Christmas list!

Every pack you buy helps support the RNLI and our lifesaving work at sea.

17/09/2026

You asked about the chutney… so we’re delivering (not literally!)

After our Christmas card post somehow got into the timelines of people all over the UK and even made it as far as Spain, quite a few of you were interested by our casual mention of RNLI chutney!

So, for everyone who asked, yes, the chutney is real. And it’s lush!

But it turns out we’ve been underselling the situation, because it’s not alone.

There’s jam, marmalade AND lemon curd! Who knew?!

You’ll find the full line-up in our RNLI shop on the prom by the yellow welly, where our brilliant shop volunteers will be very happy to help you choose between something sweet, something tangy or the chutney that somehow managed to get itself mentioned on Facebook.

We’re pretty sure that all those stations you’ve mentioned in comments on the last post like RNLI St Davids Lifeboat RNLI Shop Ramsey Minehead, Hoylake and many more, will also have a good stock!

And just like the Christmas cards, every purchase helps support the RNLI’s lifesaving work.

So there you go. You asked about the chutney. We delivered. Sort of!

16/09/2026

MAYDAY SHOUT – a call nobody wants to make

A Mayday call is reserved for the most serious emergencies at sea – when a vessel or person is in grave and imminent danger and needs immediate assistance.

Sunday afternoon, that call came in to us at Barry Dock and Porthcawl RNLI.

With a vessel in difficulty with a suspected engine fire and drifting in challenging conditions off Llantwit beach, lifeboats from Barry Dock and Porthcawl launched quickly, in a race to get there. The volunteer crew of our D class inshore lifeboat faced a particularly uncomfortable journey, running at speed against the wind in lumpy conditions to reach the casualty.

At the same time, work was under way to get our Shannon all-weather lifeboat launched. One of our volunteer coxswains had just arrived back in Barry after a weekend away and was on his way to a family commitment when he heard the pager. Realising the seriousness of the situation, he put his plans on hold and came straight to the station.

Our Shannon lifeboat launched and passed the D-class lifeboat on the way to the casualty. With concern that the vessel could continue drifting towards shallower water, the decision was made to keep both Barry Dock lifeboats responding as the D class is capable of getting into shallower water than the Shannon.

Porthcawl RNLI’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat arrived after also having a lumpy journey, and we began checking out the casualty vessel. All this was happening while the volunteers at NCI St Donat’s Bay kept eyes on the casualty and provided the Coastguard with updates on its position as it drifted.

Thankfully, what began with a Mayday ended safely.

The casualty vessel was eventually escorted back towards Cardiff, with our Shannon lifeboat and Porthcawl’s Atlantic 85 escorting it for around another hour to make sure it reached safety at Cardiff Bay.

For our D class lifeboat crew, the return to station came after a punishing ride in difficult conditions, being bounced around in the waves and swell. We recommend a visit to the Tuning Room to sort those joints out team!

A huge thank you to everyone involved in bringing this one to a safe conclusion.
If you’re on the coast and see someone in difficulty, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.