The Coastguard Association

Emergency Services Show success in Sunderland

On Thursday, three National Committee members attended the Armed Forces and Emergency Services Event in Sunderland.

Stuart Arundel – Chairman, Jo Howard – Secretary and Kevin Paterson – Digital Operations & Engagement made the trip to the Stadium of Light for the event which we hope will become a regular feature on the annual calendar.

The show provided an excellent opportunity to showcase the help and support The Coastguard Association provides while also establishing new connections with our emergency services and armed forces colleagues.

It was also the first outing of our newly designed pop up banners.

The Coastguard Association is the charity dedicated to helping Coastguard personnel and their families in their time of need.

You can find out more about the event itself at www.nafese2023.com

Rachel sets off on the Marathon des Sables

The day has arrived for Coastguard Rescue Officer Rachel Nicolls-Lee as the Marathon des Sables gets underway!

Over the last few days, Rachel has finished packing her running kit, travelled to Morocco, arrived at the first bivouac, completed technical and medical checks, had her pack weighed to ensure it meets the requirements, fitted tracking and emergency beacons and within the next two hours will set off on the day 1 of the 37th Marathon des Sables!

Described as the toughest footrace on earth, the Marathon des Sables is an ultra-marathon which takes participants 250km through the Sahara Desert over six days, carrying everything they need for the entire time with the exception of a tent.

Despite being in the middle of the Sahara Desert, you can track Rachel’s progress online and send her messages of support thanks to the wonders of modern technology. Visit https://live.marathondessables.com/en/ and click on ‘Access The Live’ to track Rachel or click on ‘Write to a runner’ to send her a message.

Rachel’s run number is 1168 and tent number (required for messages) is 93.

You can donate to Rachel’s epic fundraising challenge at https://www.gofundme.com/f/from-sea-to-sand with all money raised going to The Coastguard Association – the charity dedicated to supporting Coastguard personnel and their families in their time of need.

MdS Photo: Franck Oddoux

The 47th Annual General Meeting

The 47^th Annual General meeting of the Association took place on Saturday 25th March 2023, hosted by the East Sussex branch in Hastings.

The Agenda was discussed and various proposals ratified accordingly. The full official minutes will be presented to the Committee at the next AGM.

In order to facilitate management activities, it should be noted the following officials were elected to the management team of the Association.

Election of PR Officer: Matt Cox.

Election of Digital Operations & Engagement officer Kevin Peterson.

Also, the Association adopted the “Coastguard Association Policy Handbook 2023” into its management procedures. It is intended this is to be reviewed and amended either annually or from time to time as required by best practice.

NEXT AGM: Date: Saturday 23rd March 2024. Location: Dumfries

One month to go until Rachel’s epic fundraising challenge

There’s just one month to go until Coastguard Rescue Officer Rachel Nicholls-Lee from Falmouth heads off to the Sahara Desert for the Marathon des Sables.

Rachel will be running the 250km ultra-marathon through the Sahara over six days, carrying everything she needs in her backpack with the exception of her tent to raise money for The Coastguard Association – the charity dedicated to helping Coastguards in need.

This is no fun run with the Marathon des Sables regarded as the toughest foot race on Earth!

So what will the next few weeks involve for Rachel?

She said: “packing, unpacking, practice packing, panicking about straps breaking, 10 days of heat acclimatisation at Plymouth Marjon University in the sports lab, some more packing and last minute panic buying.”

Rachel has already raised an incredible amount of over £3000 for The Coastguard Association.

You can donate to Rachel’s epic fundraising challenge at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/from-sea-to-sand

Thank you Rachel for your amazing efforts and we will be posting regular updates across our social media feeds once Rachel sets off on the race.

Photo: Ian Corless

47th Annual General Meeting

The Coastguard Association’s 47th Annual General Meeting takes place next week in Hastings, East Sussex.

Taking place in the Shipwreck Museum, Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings at 10am on Saturday 25th March, it’s an opportunity for everyone to come together to discuss all aspects of The Coastguard Association – the charity dedicated to supporting Coastguard personnel in their time of need.

There’s lots of exciting things to be discussed including reflecting back on the last 12 months, reports from all committee members, central branch and local branch reports, election of office for key roles and also looking ahead to the next 12 months.

If you have any questions you want to raise at this year’s AGM please don’t hesitate to drop an e-mail to our National Secretary – Jo Howard. We will also be available on our social media feeds throughout the event to provide updates and answer questions, with a full technical solution being reviewed for an additional virtual element for 2024.

The agenda for this year’s AGM can be viewed at: CLICK HERE TO VIEW AGENDA

The Coastguard Association Committee is made up entirely of volunteers who devote their time to running the charity and supporting Coastguard personnel and their families in their time of need.

Thank you as always to everyone for the continued support.