Coastguard Association News

Official Opening of Head Office

Earlier this year, the Coastguard Association took another massive step forward as our charity approaches its 50th anniversary in 2026 with the official opening of our new head office.

Located in Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, the new registered office provides a central base of operations for our Chair, Treasurer and Welfare Officer who reside nearby, a central storage location for all of the charities equipment, documentation and filing, a professional space to host meetings with partners and stakeholders, and crucially it helps ensure our compliance with the Charities Commission.

The new office wouldn’t have been possible without the assistance of Corney & Barrow Ltd who kindly donated all of the furniture including desks, computer chairs and filing cabinets.

The Coastguard Association is operated entirely by a small group of dedicated volunteers and Trustees with no one receiving any form of payment or remuneration.

As a team, we are working hard to continue to raise to the profile and professionalism of the charity to ensure we can continue to help and support Coastguards past, present and future.

Coastguards set for gruelling fundraising challenge

Two serving Coastguards are gearing up to take on an incredible challenge to raise money for the Coastguard Association.

Jack, a volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officer with Brixham Coastguard Rescue Team and Senior Coastal Operations Officer Jon, are taking part in the arduous Fan Dance challenge, a 24km weighted march famously known as part of the selection for the elite SAS special forces unit.

The brave duo will tackle mountainous terrain, snow, ice and time targets all while carrying 35lbs of equipment.

The route will see the pair immediately ascend Pen y Fan reaching heights of nearly 3,000ft, before descending the other side towards the halfway point, before turning around the reversing the route, tackling the even more challenging ascent known as Jacob’s Ladder.

The team have set a fundraising target of £500 and we are hoping they’ll be able to smash both the challenge and their target.

With the event taking place in January 2026, the team will be training hard through the coming months to get ready for this truly incredible physical and mental challenge and we will be following the team’s training as they brave the UK winter.

You can help support Jack and Jon and our charity by donating online at: https://gofund.me/10b0dac68

Great Scottish Run Fundraiser

Massive thanks to Christopher Wylie from Greenock Coastguard Rescue Team who smashed his first ever 10K on Sunday to raise money for the Coastguard Association.

Taking part in the Great Scottish Run in Glasgow, Christopher completed the run in a hugely impressive 54 minutes 22 seconds.

And not only did he put in an excellent time, Christopher also smashed his fundraising target and has raised an incredible £350 for our charity.

As the charity dedicated to supporting Coastguard personnel and their families in their time of need, we rely on fundraising and donations to ensure we can continue to help our people past, present and future.

Huge thanks to Christopher for his amazing fundraising effort.

Emergency Services Show Success

The team are home and we have just about caught our breaths after exhibiting at this year’s Emergency Services Show.

It was another great event for our charity to link in with our Coastguard colleagues, speak with current and future members, engage with other emergency service charities and get a look at the latest gear and technology being used to help the emergency services save lives.

The Emergency Services Show is one of our annual highlights, and as our charity continues to expand and grow, it provides us an opportunity to showcase the journey we are currently on to ensure we can be there to support our people.

From a few basic pop up banners three years ago at our first show to now having our own professional portable display setup including branded display stand, literature holder, digital media presentation, electronic point of sale system and contactless donations is something we are hugely proud of.

It’s now time for a bit of a rest but it won’t be long until we start planning for next year’s show.

Drowning Prevention Day Virtual 5K

Help the charity dedicated to supporting Coastguards in their time of need while also raising awareness of water safety by taking part in our Drowning Prevention Day Virtual 5K.

Drowning Prevention Day is observed annually on 25th July and is a global initiative to raise awareness of the impact of drowning and promote water safety measures.

For this challenge, we are asking everyone to complete their virtual 5K on or as close to 25th July as possible while also promoting water safety either by speaking to people while out and about, sharing a water safety tip on social media or even checking on public access rescue equipment along your route.

Not a runner? No problem! You can walk, run, swim, cycle, roller skate, hop, skip, jump…..the choice is yours. All we ask is you complete the distance of 5K on or as close to 25th July as possible to mark this important date in the water safety calendar.

Each participant will receive a special Coastguard Association Drowning Prevention Day medal and will be shipped to participants to ensure they’re received prior to the event taking place for photo and selfie purposes.

Sign up online now at: https://www.paypal.com/instantcommerce/checkout/HGX93RA4MDSFJ. The entry fee is £15 and all money raised goes directly to helping Coastguard personnel and their families in their time of need.

There is also no requirement to do any additional fundraising, however all participants will be sent a national Virtual 5K GoFundMe page should anyone wish to share with friends and family to raise some additional money.

You can donate online and support those taking part at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/coastguard-association-drowning-prevention-day-virtual-5k

Thanks as always for the continued support and we are all looking forward to watching the Virtual 5K around the coast.