All our members are volunteers and come from all walks of life, offering a wide range of skills and experience. We have watchkeepers who have been in the armed services, police, teaching, farming, construction, business, retail and many more.

It is not necessary to have a maritime background in order to become a watchkeeper,  as full training will be given.  

Each volunteer undergoes a full and detailed training programme which includes chartwork, incident reporting and marine radio certification. Most importantly they are taught how to Spot an incident, Plot its position and Report it to HM Coastguard’.  

Once training is completed, our volunteers are formally assessed to ensure they meet the rigorous standards approved by HM Coastguard. They are then able to join more than 2,500 colleagues already keeping their ‘Eyes Along the Coast’.  

Individual Stations are managed by an elected Station Manager assisted by an elected station committee. Support for station management is available from National Support Officers, the National Office and IT Teams, and a team of Group Treasurers. 

The overall responsibility for the management and strategic development of the charity rests with the Board of Trustees. Trustees are elected by the member stations and are all volunteer members of the charity.