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Writer's pictureAllan & Helen

Glamorgan

We were determined to not let Storm Bert put us off visiting 6 Lifeboat Stations around the Bristol Channel in November. After all, the brave crews that we meet go to sea in all weathers so the least we could do is pop by, say hello and raise some money for them. On Saturday we visited 3 stations in Glamorgan, South Wales.



 

Porthcawl

Arriving at 9:30, we parked nearby and made our way to the station. There was a lot of very wet runners “enjoying” a parkrun along the promenade at Porthcawl despite the very wet and windy conditions. As we were a little early we stood and watched the waves from a safe distance.


The Lifeboat Station doors were open so we took some photos including our evidence photo with the bears. We then popped into the shop where we met one of the shop volunteers who kindly made us a cup of tea. We also met Paul who among many roles was the Water Safety Officer and he kindly offered a tour of the station and the boats.

The current station was opened in 1995 and sits close to the harbour. The station was established in 1860 but closed in 1902 due to difficulties obtaining crew members. It reopened again in 1965 with a temporary boathouse to house the first ILB before the current station was completed to house the Atlantic 75 and subsequently the Atlantic 85.

The boathouse is now home to B-Class, Rose of the Shires (B-832) and D-Class, Hugo Missen (D-861), named in memory of the son of one of the lifeboat crew.

After a lovely chat with Paul we said our goodbyes and headed to our next visit.

 


 

Barry Dock

Just outside of Cardiff lies the seaside town of Barry. It is known for its beach and pleasure park and for being the setting of the TV programme Gavin and Stacey.


In a prominent position on the main promenade is the RNLI Experience which houses a fantastic shop and visitor experience. We stopped here first and met with volunteers Lisa and Carol who made us so welcome with a cup of tea and we had a lovely long chat with them. We took time to visit the visitor experience which was excellent, giving kids the opportunity to wear some RNLI kit and to sit in a D-Class with an immersive video screen. We would highly recommend a visit if you are in the area.


Barry sits on the coastline of the Bristol Channel which is renowned for having the second largest tidal range in the World of 15 metres. The lifeboat station lies on the Pier Head and was completed in 2023. It is an impressive building being shared with the port operators. The Barry Dock Lifeboat Station was established in 1901 to serve the upper Bristol Channel. The original boathouse and slipway served the RNLI until 1979 and still remains located on the opposite side of the dock entrance but is now used by the Sailing Club.


Arriving at the new station we made a quick phone call and was met by Pete. He invited us in to have a look around the amazing space they now have. Pete is a relief Coxwain and serves All-Weather stations from New Quay around the Welsh Coast to Barry. This allows the home crews to have some well earned time off.


Barry Dock has a new Shannon Class lifeboat, Richard and Caroline Colton II (13-51) which arrived on station in March 2024 and is moored on a pontoon. Alongside on a Versadock is their D-Class Inshore boat, Frances Mary Corscaden (D-820). The Shannon is the only All-Weather Lifeboat covering the Bristol Channel.



 

Penarth

Our final visit of the day was to Penarth, a short drive from Barry and just outside of Cardiff Bay. Unfortunately there was no one available to meet us at the station so we took our photos of the striking looking building and peered through the windows at their two boats.

The station at Penarth was established in 1861 but closed in 1905 as the area was coveredby the new stations at Barry and Minehead. The station reopened in 1980 with the current boathouse being opened in 1996 to house their Atlantic 85 and D-Class ILB’s. The Atlantic 85 is Maureen Lilian (B-839) and the D-Class is Spirit of Penarth (D-822).



After a very wet and windy day we headed back to our hotel to dry off ready for another day of visits in Somerset.

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