Cullercoats RNLI

19/06/2026

🚨📟 Shout! 📟🚨
Incident 21/2026 – Friday 19 June
Agencies involved: Humber Coastguard, Tynemouth RNLI lifeboat, Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade, North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

This afternoon our volunteer crew were tasked to two paddleboarders being blown out to sea off Whitley Bay beach in offshore winds. They had become separated, with one casualty in the water and out of sight of the informant. The paddleboarders weren't wearing floatation devices so were cold, frightened and at significant risk.

The pagers sounded and the lifeboat launched within 8 minutes, making best speed to the scene. Both casualties were quickly located, recovered aboard, and cared for by the crew before being brought back to Cullercoats Lifeboat Station, where an ambulance crew was waiting to carry out further assessment.

With paddleboarding more popular than ever along our coastline, here's a few simple but crucial reminders to help keep you safe:

🛟 Wear a buoyancy aid
🛟 Carry a phone in a waterproof pouch
🛟 Use the correct paddleboard leash
🛟 Avoid offshore winds — apps like Windy are great for checking conditions before you launch
🛟 Wear a wetsuit / appropriate clothing

📞 If you get into difficulty at the coast or think someone's in trouble, always call 999 and ask for the coastguard.



Photo: Helen Cowan

12/06/2026

🌊 Harbour Day 2026 Merch Pre‑Sale is officially live! ⚓

We’ve got fresh new Harbour Day T‑shirts and tote bags ready to order ahead of the big day on Saturday 4th July — and they’re looking class ✨

Adult T‑shirt – £25, Child T‑shirt – £15, Tote bag – £10

All our tees are 100% organic, screen printed, and made from extra‑heavy premium ringspun combed cotton. They feel great and look spot‑on whether you’re down the bay or just showing some local pride 😎

How to order: Drop us an email at [email protected] with what you’d like. We’ll ping you a payment link back.

Get kitted out and help us raise funds to save lives at sea this summer 👕🛍️🛟

07/06/2026

🎉🎟️ Tombola time! 🎟️🎉 - We’re collecting prizes for our Harbour Day Tombola - a fun lucky‑dip style raffle - and we’d love your help stocking it!

Great prize ideas include new and sealed:
🧸 Small toys, games, puzzles
🎁 Chocolates, sweets, biscuits
🕯️ Candles, home treats, gift sets
🍫 Little luxuries and family‑friendly goodies

📍 Drop-off: Cullercoats Lifeboat Station shop 🗓️ Open daily ⏱️ 10am–4pm

Thank you for your support! 🛟 Every penny raised at Harbour Day on Saturday 4th July will help to support our lifesaving work at sea 🌊

Photo: Helen Cowan

04/06/2026

Ahoy, ye scoundrels, treasure hunters, and mates of the briny deep! 🐙

We volunteers at Cullercoats RNLI are plundering for our famous Bottle Tombola at the upcoming Harbour Day on Saturday 4th July, and we require your... voluntary contributions!

For those new to the crew, this stall is a "prize every time" raffle - folks buy a ticket and win a random bottle! To make it a roaring success, we need you to donate ANYTHING that comes in a bottle. And no, we don't just mean rum! (Though, strictly speaking, the rum should never be gone).

Winners could walk away with a premium gin, a bottle of ketchup, or a fancy bubble bath.. it's all part of the fun! We’ll take any unopened bottles to help us raise vital lifesaving funds, savvy?

🍾 Booze & Beverage Bottles: Whiskey, wine, cider, fine gin, fancy squashes, fizzy pop, ALL drinks.

🧴 Bath & Household Bottles: Bubble baths, luxury shampoos, shower gels, tomato sauce, olive oil.. you name it!

If it’s liquid, sealed, and fits in a bottle, it’s treasure to us!

🧭 Where to Drop the Loot
Steer your vessels toward our Cullercoats Lifeboat station shop over the next couple of weeks. While you're handing over your bottles, you can browse our shelves - we’re packed to the rafters with an incredible bounty of RNLI gifts, clothing, and treats for ye to buy!

🗓️ Open 7 days a week
⏱️ 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Raid your pantries, empty your cellars, and please bring us your bottles! Yo ho! 🏴‍☠️

01/06/2026

There’s still time to secure your spot at the Stand Up Paddleboard water safety session on Wednesday evening! Hosted by CBK Adventures, with a talk from Cullercoats RNLI’s Water Safety Officer, it’s the perfect time to pick up some top tips for staying safe on the sea this summer.

Link below to book your place for only £5, with all proceeds going to the RNLI 🛟

🗓️ Wednesday 3rd June @ 6:45pm - 8pm

What’s SUP?!.. Fancy getting more confident on your paddleboard this summer? 🌊 Join Geoff Cowan, RNLI Water Safety Officer, at CBK Adventures for a hands‑on water safety session designed to help you stay safe while enjoying the coast.

Geoff will walk you through the essentials — from reading the conditions to choosing the right kit — and answer any questions you’ve got about staying safe on the water. If you’re planning to get out on a board this season, this one’s for you!

📅 Wed 3rd June, 6.45 - 8pm📍 Link in comments for full details & booking 🔗

📷 Photo: Angus Watt

01/06/2026

A huge well done to Euan and Andrew for completing their own take on the Mayday Mile challenge: running half a marathon every day for a month to raise over £8000 for the RNLI!

Members of our crew joined them for their final run yesterday, including those who were involved in their rescue whilst surfing last year.

We’re so grateful for the fundraising but also for speaking out about the experience: showing how anyone can get into difficulty in the water will help save many more lives 🛟🧡

📸 Helen Cowan

30/05/2026

🧡🛟 We couldn’t be more proud of these two!

Euan and Andrew turned a terrifying experience into the most positive thing possible: sharing their story to help keep others safe through the RNLI’s Float to Live campaign. Link below.

Not only that, but they’ve taken on an exceptional Mayday Mile challenge: running half a marathon every day in May, covering a total distance of over 400 miles each! All whilst raising funds for the RNLI.

It’s their final run tomorrow, where they’ll be joined by some of our crew who were involved in their rescue last year. Link in comments below if you’d like to sponsor them and support our lifesaving work at sea 🌊 🛟

Well done, lads! And THANK YOU 👏🧡

29/05/2026

What’s SUP?!.. Fancy getting more confident on your paddleboard this summer? 🌊 Join Geoff Cowan, RNLI Water Safety Officer, at CBK Adventures for a hands‑on water safety session designed to help you stay safe while enjoying the coast.

Geoff will walk you through the essentials — from reading the conditions to choosing the right kit — and answer any questions you’ve got about staying safe on the water. If you’re planning to get out on a board this season, this one’s for you!

📅 Wed 3rd June, 6.45 - 8pm📍 Link in comments for full details & booking 🔗

📷 Photo: Angus Watt

26/05/2026

🚨📟Shout(s)! 📟🚨
Incidents: 16, 17 and 18/2026
Date: Monday 25th May
Time(s): 14:52, 15:35, 16:59
Agencies involved: Humber Coastguard Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade (SSVLB)

It’s been a busy bank holiday, with no time to bask in the sunshine for our volunteers. Our first two calls on Monday afternoon were to assist with the search for missing children, both of whom were thankfully found safe and well. The third call was to provide assistance with a medical incident.

Despite our crew giving up their family time to help those in distress, they were sadly met with verbal abuse and confrontational behaviour from some members of the public in Cullercoats Bay. Some refused to move cars that blocked access to the lifeboat station while others swore at crew when asked to move aside to allow the lifeboat to launch.

Lifeboat Operations Manager Kay Heslop said, ‘it’s hard to believe that anyone would be abusive to volunteers in the course of their lifesaving duties but this happened yesterday, sadly. Whilst the majority of people are supportive of our work, some actions such as inconsiderate and illegal parking can put lives at risk. I can’t quite believe that I need to say this, but please treat our crew with respect. Every second counts when it comes to saving lives at sea and our next service call could be to assist you or a member of your family’.

23/05/2026

🚨📟 Shout! 📟🚨
Incident: 15/2026
Date: Saturday 23rd May
Time: 3:54pm
Agencies involved: Humber Coastguard

On Saturday afternoon our crew were tasked to respond to a ‘pan pan’ distress call from a vessel at the mouth of the Tyne. This ‘urgency’ alert indicates that a vessel requires assistance, but is not in grave and imminent danger, which would result in a ‘mayday’ call.

The vessel was reported to be drifting between the piers. Our lifeboat was quickly on scene and contact was made with vessels in the area. Once it was established that the vessel in difficulty had self recovered and did not require assistance, our crew returned to Cullercoats.

For trainee crew members John and Becky, this was their first time onboard the boat for a service call. Well done and keep up the good work! 🛟