30th Anniversary of NCI donation

Coastwatch cheque

Coastwatch Anniversary Cheque Presentation

Newhaven Chamber of Commerce was delighted to support the Newhaven Branch of the National Coastwatch Institute as part of their 30th Anniversary Celebrations.

In addition to presenting Mr David Crozier, CEO of the charity, with a donation of £500, Mike Shorer, President of Newhaven Chamber joined their cycle ride with the special 30th Anniversary flag from the Coastwatch Tower on the cliffs to the RNLI Station. The flag relay is making its way along the south coast of England. It will stop at all 60 NCI stations on its 2000-mile journey.

Coastwatch Volunteers

More than 2,700 National Coastwatch volunteer watchkeepers maintain a daily visual and radio watch along the coast of England and Wales, looking out for anyone in potential danger and alerting coastguard and lifeboat crews.

National Coastwatch is a critical part of UK Search and Rescue, working alongside His Majesty’s Coastguard, the RNLI and the ‘blue-light’ emergency services to assist in the protection and saving of life at sea along our coastlines.

In 2023 Newhaven’s volunteers did 8,000 hours. They alerted emergency services to 27 incidents that included a drifting inflatable with four people on board, a two-paraglider crash, a fisherman in danger of being swept off West Quay, and a leisure craft with engine failure.

The Newhaven NCI lookout, built for the Coastguard in the early 1960s, is positioned on the cliff top at 175 feet above sea level and provides a view seaward; along Seaford beach towards Splash Point to the East, out to the Rampion Windfarm in the West, and South into the shipping lane, covering approximately 450 square miles on a clear day. It costs £11,000 a year to maintain including communications, IT, insurance, heating, lighting etc.

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