New seat for Coastguard compound at Harbour Village
There is an addition to the street furniture at Amble Harbour Village. Coastguard Ian Howard has fabricated and donated a metal seat, which has been mounted within the coastguard compound.
Family and friends came along for the unveiling, then enjoyed a celebration. The public are welcome to use the seat when the gates are open.
Our local coastguards. Ian Howard third from right
Ian, known to his fellow coastguards as H, was unable to continue in his former job abroad due to travel restrictions during the Covid epidemic. He was too young to retire, but did not want to sit idly around, so he decided to turn a hobby into a business. He founded Coquet Ironworks, which is based in the Old Bathhouse, North Broomhill, where he fashions metal gates, railings, memorials and seats among other things.
Ian also joined the coastguards and wanted to raise the profile of the local group; this seat was a catalyst for that.
HM Coastguards celebrated 200 years of service in 2022. They are the only national maritime emergency service. Like the RNLI, they are involved in search and rescue, but they are a separate entity.
There are 12 members based at the Amble Coastguard Station, all volunteers, both men and women. The service is available 24/7. The volunteers on call are paged from headquarters in Humberside, whenever there is an incident. Their area stretches from Eyemouth to Whitby, but there are other stations along the way. They respond to emergencies along the coast, such as search and rescue, oil spillages, missing persons and occasionally dead animals on the beach.
If you are new to the area, and want to stay safe in and around the coast here in Northumberland their website hmcoastguard.uk carries a wealth of information about the dangers that may be encountered in the sea, on the beach and cliffs in our tidal waters.
Hopefully your only encounter with our coastguards is when you pass the time of day with them on this new seat.
If you spot an emergency on the coast call 999 and ask for the coastguard.
