Teignmouth Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) is on the hunt for more volunteers to support its lifesaving activities after several members of the team have announced they are moving on.

Roles available include fundraising, community engagement, managing the lifeboat station shop and shore crew.

The vacancies have arisen for reasons including relocation, ill health and volunteers moving to support other areas of the RNLI.

‘Our fundraising and engagement team plays a crucial role in connecting with both visitors and the local community to ensure we have the funds needed to keep our crews ready to respond at a moment’s notice,’ a spokesperson from Teignmouth RNLI said.

The current RNLI Teignmouth volunteer shop manager, who is reluctantly standing down due to ill health, said: ‘I have just loved every minute of it. It has been a golden opportunity to meet so many lovely people both inside and outside of the RNLI.’ The ‘small but beautifully presented’ shop at Teignmouth Lifeboat Station sells RNLI merchandise and is open 11 months of the year.

Another vital fundraising position is that of treasurer. As a charity funded entirely by public donations the RNLI Teignmouth treasurer records income, tracks expenditure and keeps the charity’s accounts in order. The current fundraising treasurer is moving away from the area with her husband, who is also one of the Teignmouth boathouse visits volunteers. The new fundraising treasurer will benefit from a detailed handover from the current treasurer who reflected: ‘I have taken pride in being part of such a motivated team and ensuring that every donated penny is handled with the integrity and transparency that the public expects, protecting the RNLI’s reputation and its mission’.

Teignmouth RNLI’s fundraising and engagement team chair has also announced plans to step down at the end of 2025 to pursue other volunteer opportunities within the RNLI. The chair plays a pivotal role in the life of Teignmouth Lifeboat Station and ensures that the resources, funding, and community support are in place to keep the lifeboat operational. She plans to ‘still be around’ to hand over to the new chair and has described her time in the role as ‘a privilege’.

‘The fundraising and engagement team are all so committed to the RNLI’s cause and so enthusiastic about contributing to our station and to showing the local community how well everyone at Teignmouth Lifeboat Station works together under our ‘one crew’ ethos to raise essential funds,’ she commented.

On the operational side, Teignmouth RNLI is also recruiting new members of its shore crew team. The shore crew help launch the lifeboat, manage the safety of the area during a launch and refuel and service the boats when they return from a ‘shout’ or training exercise.

Anyone interested in any volunteer roles with Teignmouth RNLI should contact the RNLI community manager, Jason Luff by emailing [email protected]

Teignmouth RNLI operates from the original 1862 boathouse near the Point car park and carries out around 50 rescues each year. Volunteers play an essential role in providing the 24 hour search and rescue service which is funded entirely by voluntary donations and legacies.