NCI ST IVES VOLUNTEERS TO BUY NEW TELESCOPE THANKS TO CO-OP DONATION

22nd November 2021. The National Coastwatch Institution station at St Ives have received a donation from the Co-operative Society’s Local Community Fund to buy a new high-powered telescope to help keep people safe along the coast.

The £4,207 will go towards the purchase of a top-of-the-range 115mm Swarovski spotting scope to be used by the volunteer watchkeepers who operate the lookout station on The Island 365 days a year.

NCI St Ives Station Manager Helen Simpson said: “Our thanks go to everyone who helped raise the money by shopping at the Co-op stores in St Ives and to the Co-op organisation and staff. This is an incredible amount.”

NCI St Ives, which provides eyes along the coast to help keep people safe on and around the sea, has also been given a £2,000 donation from an anonymous St Ives resident.

Helen added: “I am overwhelmed by the generosity of our supporters. All the money we receive is used to help upgrade and maintain our station and its equipment and we are hugely grateful for these latest donations. Fund-raising for all charities and voluntary organisations were badly affected by the Covid lockdowns and restrictions and we are hugely grateful for the support we have had from people, businesses and our website sponsors in St Ives.”

Restrictions imposed during the pandemic also halted the recruitment of new watchkeepers for more than a year. A new batch are currently undergoing training and NCI St Ives would be pleased to hear from anyone interested in joining their ranks.

The cheque was presented to NCI St Ives Fundraising Officer Trevor Peake and Training Officer David Cooper, by the managers of the three participating St Ives Co-op stores – Liam Douglas (Royal Square), Rebecca Watson (Stennack) and Martin Bramfield (Royal Square) - at the Stennack store last weekend (photograph courtesy of Inyourarea.com).

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About

Currently almost 60 National Coastwatch stations are operational and manned by over 2600 volunteer watchkeepers around the British Isles from Fleetwood in the North West, through Wales, to the South and East of England to Filey in North Yorkshire. 

National Coastwatch watchkeepers provide the eyes and ears along the coast, monitoring radio channels and providing a listening watch in poor visibility. They are trained to deal with emergencies offering a variety of skills and experience, and full training by the National Coastwatch ensures that high standards are met.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The words National Coastwatch Institution and Eyes Along the Coast and the NCI logos are Registered Trademarks of NCI.

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