Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade

Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade (TVLB) is a voluntary shore-based coastal rescue service. TVLB operates as a charity.

We are the declared facility to HM Coastguard in North Tyneside, operating in rope, search, water rescue and first aid 24-7 365 days of the year

Founded in 1864 we are one of the last remaining trained teams for Ship to Shore Breeches Buoy Rescue. Operating from our Watch House Museum in Tynemouth on the North East coast of England, we work closely with other emergency services depending on need

and type of rescue. The Watch House Museum is free to visit on Bank Holidays and weekends from Easter until the end of August. In recent years the Brigade has averaged over 150 callouts a year and these range from monitoring and gathering information to providing first aid in coastal locations and recovering cliff casualties. All donations and support are gratefully received.

Yesterday we joined the family and friends of Hon. Capt. Bryan Hodgson at his funeral at Tynemouth crematorium. With the...
22/08/2026

Yesterday we joined the family and friends of Hon. Capt. Bryan Hodgson at his funeral at Tynemouth crematorium.

With the agreement of his family, Bryan was given full Brigade honours with the cortege escorted by one of our vehicles, the route lined by members who then escorted him to the entrance, and then colleagues and friends of Bryan acting as his pallbearers. It was an honour for the Brigade to be able to recognise his many years of service and friendship to TVLB.

After the funeral, the team gathered at the Stanley memorial for a group photo - taking a moment to remember the shipwreck in 1864 which led to our formation.

118/26 – Tuesday 18th August – 09.50h – HM Coastguard took part in multi-agency searches of the Wylam area of the River ...
18/08/2026

118/26 – Tuesday 18th August – 09.50h – HM Coastguard took part in multi-agency searches of the Wylam area of the River Tyne following the disappearance of a 22-year-old man over the weekend. Brigade members joined Coastguard Rescue Officers from Amble Coastguards & Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team to work alongside two Senior Coastal Operations Officers (HM Coastguard NE), officers from Northumbria Police, and volunteers from Mountain Rescue Teams. During the late afternoon, Police search teams located a body, thought to be of the missing man. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this very sad time.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: Four

117/26 – Saturday 15th August – 14.57h – HM Coastguard received a mayday call from a 14ft vessel taking on water somewhe...
16/08/2026

117/26 – Saturday 15th August – 14.57h – HM Coastguard received a mayday call from a 14ft vessel taking on water somewhere near the Tyne Piers, with the exact location unknown. Initially Tynemouth RNLI lifeboat and the Brigade was tasked to locate the vessel and offer assistance.
As team members arrived on scene, the situation developed with the boat sinking to the south of the South Tyne Pier, and the crew of three being rescued by the Pilot Cutter from Port of Tyne. The Brigade was then stood down with the 3 crew brought to the south side of the river and met by members of South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade (SSVLB) & Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: Eight

116/26 – Thursday 13th August – 20.35h – HM Coastguard requested the Brigade attend Cullercoats Bay to support a casualt...
14/08/2026

116/26 – Thursday 13th August – 20.35h – HM Coastguard requested the Brigade attend Cullercoats Bay to support a casualty in crisis.
Team members supported the casualty for around an hour before they were passed into the care of a crew from the North East Ambulance Service for further assessment and support.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: Eight

Yesterday the team attended two calls. The first lasted all of a minute and sounded serious, with two people in the wate...
13/08/2026

Yesterday the team attended two calls.

The first lasted all of a minute and sounded serious, with two people in the water in difficulty, but thankfully they self-recovered.

The second call involved two people in a kayak washed into the sea north of Cullercoats Bay. Thankfully, the watchful eyes of crew from Cullercoats RNLI had noticed them heading to sea and observed them capsizing - which instigated an immediate response.
The pair were also wearing flotation devices, which helped keep them afloat during the short time before the crew reached them.

Further details on both calls are shown below:

114/26 – Wednesday 12th August – 12.50h – HM Coastguard tasked the Brigade, South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade (SSVLB) & Cullercoats RNLI to assist RNLI Lifeguards Tyne & Wear with reports of two people being swept out to sea at Tynemouth Longsands. As all services responded to the call, the great news was received that the pair had self-rescued and no further assistance was required.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: Four

113/26 – Saturday 8th August – 21.01h – Later in the evening, the Operations Manager at Cullercoats RNLI observed two people on a kayak heading north from Cullercoats Bay. She was immediately concerned for their welfare due to the fact darkness was approaching, and the route they were taking at sea – moments later they were washed off the kayak by a wave. Following a 999 call, the Lifeboat immediately launched and the Brigade was tasked to support. The Lifeboat crew quickly reached the scene and, after some skillful boat handling skills in shallow conditions, recovered the pair onboard. Once ashore, they were checked over by Brigade members and then passed into the care of the North East Ambulance Service for further assessment and treatment.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: 16

113/26 – Saturday 8th August – 23.56h – Northumbria Police received a report of a 15-year-old intoxicated in the area of...
09/08/2026

113/26 – Saturday 8th August – 23.56h – Northumbria Police received a report of a 15-year-old intoxicated in the area of Tynemouth Haven. The Police contacted HM Coastguard and the Brigade was requested to attend.
The first Brigade members on scene located the casualty sat at the roadside. The team stayed in the location until Police officers arrived who then arranged to take the child home. The Brigade was stood down at 00.19h.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: Six

112/26 – Saturday 8th August – 01.23h – HM Coastguard tasked the Brigade, Blyth Coastguard Rescue Team & Tynemouth RNLI ...
08/08/2026

112/26 – Saturday 8th August – 01.23h – HM Coastguard tasked the Brigade, Blyth Coastguard Rescue Team & Tynemouth RNLI lifeboat to support Northumbria Police with a person in crisis in the Tynemouth area.
As the first team member arrived on scene, the Coastguard stood down all coastal rescue resources as they received confirmation that the casualty was now in a place of safety.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: Two

111/26 – Tuesday 4th August – 19.16h – HM Coastguard tasked the Brigade & Cullercoats RNLI after a 13-year-old boy was r...
05/08/2026

111/26 – Tuesday 4th August – 19.16h – HM Coastguard tasked the Brigade & Cullercoats RNLI after a 13-year-old boy was reported to be in difficulty in the sea at the North end of Tynemouth Longsands. Thankfully, the boy was quickly rescued by two members of the public using surfboards. Once ashore, although conscious, the child was found to be cold and so he was taken to hospital by ambulance for further assessment and treatment. Officers from Northumbria Police were also in attendance at this call.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: Seven

With great sadness, the Brigade has been informed of the passing of Honorary Captain Bryan Hodgson at the end of July.Br...
04/08/2026

With great sadness, the Brigade has been informed of the passing of Honorary Captain Bryan Hodgson at the end of July.

Bryan joined the Brigade in 1968 and retired from the Rescue Team in 2011. During his service with the Brigade, he witnessed the transition from a team focused primarily on Breeches Buoy rescues to a multi-functional rescue team. Before mobile phones became commonplace, Bryan, with the help of his wife, Jan, was responsible for ringing the team in the event of a major incident or search – before then coming along to join in with the incident. He had the ability to wake up a Brigade member, get their attention, pass the key callout information, and then hangup in 10 seconds down to a fine art!
Following a period of national service, Bryan was a chef by trade, and his BBQs, cakes and ham & pea soup remain legendry throughout the team.

Two other stand out memories of Bryan included his tireless work emptying the many collection boxes we have in local pubs, clubs and shops, and the many hours he used to spend untangling and re-packing the lines attached to our Breeches Buoy rockets.

Bryan is fondly remembered by many in the Brigade, and we are all very sad to hear of his passing.

His cremation will take place on Friday 21st August at Tynemouth Crematorium, starting at 12.45pm.

Our Rescue Team attended 26 incidents during July, taking our total for the year to 108. This is only the second time in...
04/08/2026

Our Rescue Team attended 26 incidents during July, taking our total for the year to 108. This is only the second time in our history that we have passed 100 callouts for a year by this point, (during 2025 we received 127 calls up until the end of July).
This July also ranks as our second busiest on record, with the 26 calls only surpassed by the 29 incidents we attended during July 2019.

Across the past month the incidents have included:
- Nine calls to support other services with people in crisis including one incident where our team carried out a water rescue for a person in immediate danger.
- Two requests to prepare the Helicopter Landing Site near to the RVI and to assist the crews of Coastguard Rescue Helicopters as they transferred injured casualties to hospital.
- Two calls involving people in difficulty in the sea – tragically, this included the death of a man at Cullercoats Bay on 19th July.
- Two calls to a yacht that came ashore just north of the entrance to Seaton Sluice harbour.
- One false alarm with good intent and two false alarms believed to have been maliciously sent to the Coastguard.
- Attendance during the multi-agency response to the collision involving two vessels on the River Tyne on 19th July.

During the 26 calls, we have worked closely with many fellow coastal rescue organisations including South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade (SSVLB); HM Coastguard including their operation room based in Bridlington (Humber Coastguard), their local Area Management Team (HM Coastguard NE), Blyth Coastguard Rescue Team, and Coastguard Rescue Helicopter crews; the RNLI including their Beach Lifeguards (RNLI Lifeguards Tyne & Wear) and Lifeboats based at Cullercoats RNLI & Tynemouth RNLI lifeboat. We also work regularly with the North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, Northumbria Police & the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service.

Although the rate of callouts has been intense, our team of 20 volunteers have all regularly attended the calls which helps to share the demand– we are also continually grateful for the support of our members’ families, friends and employers, and the wider community that ensure the continuum of the work of TVLB.

Further information on our four most recent incidents (including the first two for August), are shown below:

107/26 – Friday 31st July 2026 – 18.11h – HM Coastguard tasked the Brigade to Tynemouth Longsands after receiving a report of concern for the safety of two paddleboarders sighted some distance offshore. Cullercoats RNLI carried out a welfare check on the pair who confirmed that they were OK with no further assistance required. All rescue resources were stood down at 18.43h.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: Six

108/26 – Friday 31st July 2026 – 19.38h – A short time later, the Brigade was tasked alongside Blyth Coastguard Rescue Team & Tynemouth RNLI lifeboat to support a police incident taking place at North Shields Fish Quay.
Team members volunteered for around two hours before the incident was brought to a safe conclusion. The North East Ambulance Service were also in attendance at this call.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: Nine

109/26 – Saturday 1st August 2026 – 15.36h – HM Coastguard tasked the Brigade to liaise with Cullercoats RNLI regarding a vessel under tow approaching Royal Quays Marina with a request to assist with berthing and provide safety cover if required.
The Brigade attended Royal Quays, however the vessel no longer required assistance with berthing and continued under its own power. The Brigade was subsequently stood down.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: Four

110/26 – Sunday 2nd August – 22.46h – HM Coastguard tasked the Brigade & Cullercoats RNLI to support a Police incident at King Edward’s Bay.
As team members arrived on scene, the Police confirmed that they had one person in their care with no further assistance required.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: Nine

Address

The Watch House
Tynemouth
NE304

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 3pm
Friday 10am - 3pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm
Sunday 10am - 3pm

Telephone

+447745290053

Website

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