04/06/2026
Official Statement from the Coastguard Association
As the charity dedicated to supporting Coastguard personnel and their families in their time of need, we want to acknowledge the recent announcement regarding the removal of remuneration for Coastguard Rescue Officers and a move to the new voluntary model.
We appreciate this announcement may cause concern and anxiety for Coastguard Rescue Officers around the country, and we are fully cognisant of the rationale and the legal proceedings which have led to this change.
As a management team, we are currently reviewing how this change may impact our charity.
We have had numerous e-mails and are aware of social content posts requesting the Coastguard Association be available to provide some form of representation to Coastguard Rescue Officers regarding this new voluntary operating model.
Since our inception 50 years ago, we have always been very clear that we are a welfare charity to support Coastguards who have found themselves in a time of genuine hardship. We have never purported to be or acted in a manner similar to a union or any representative body in relation to internal matters within the Maritime & Coastguard Agency/Coastguard Rescue Service, and this position is not under review or going to change following this announcement.
Going forward, we will continue to engage and work closely with our key stakeholders and our members to ensure we can support Coastguards past, present and future.
While we are reviewing the potential impact on our charity, the support we offer remains the same and can be accessed by the usual means through our website.
In the meantime, we want to extend our thanks to everyone within the Coastguard Rescue Service for their commitment and dedication, and while we appreciate many may be currently considering their position in light of this announcement, we sincerely hope everyone can find a way to continue to serve their communities and help save lives.