HAVE you got what it takes to be part of Cleethorpes' crew?
Lifesavers at Cleethorpes RNLI are inviting would-be crew members to find out more about what it takes to be part of their team.
The 18-strong team rescued 51 people from the often treacherous waters of the estuary last year and are hoping to recruit three more hardy members to join them.
It is one of the busiest stations in the north of England.
Lifeboat operations manager Jack Barlow said: "Due to changes in people's work and home lives we have seen a need for some more crew who would be available to respond during the daytime in the working week.
"All we ask from the new recruits is they have the time to give to us – as well as the interest and desire to learn new skills.
"Previous seagoing experience is not essential."
They will meet at the station on opposite Brighton Slipway on Saturday, April 27 between 11am and 2pm, where crew members and management will talk about what it means to be a lifesaver.
Volunteers respond to 999 calls whenever someone needs their help at sea. They also train twice a week.
No seafaring experience is needed – just ten per cent of the crew have any previous experience – and both men and women are welcome.
The daughter of a helmsman, Stacey Sonley, 19, is among the most recent recruits. She is one of three female volunteers and the youngest. She works her RNLI role around her regular job at Asda.
"I knew from a fairly young age I wanted to join the lifeboat crew," she said. "I have been surrounded by the RNLI all my life – my dad is a helmsman on the Cleethorpes lifeboat. Before that he was full-time crew at Humber lifeboat and as a family we all lived at Spurn Point.
"The RNLI provides fantastic training to turn ordinary people into lifesavers and by volunteering, people will gain some great experience, knowledge and skills."
To qualify, volunteers need to be aged 17 to 45, living and/or working in Cleethorpes within one-and-a-half miles of the station, physically fit and not colour blind.
For more information, contact Cleethorpes RNLI press officer Kelly Blackburn on 07850 448699, or e-mail lifeboat618@hotmail.co.uk
