A decision that changed me: How Claire became a Coastguard rescue officer

It started as a way to meet people after a major move across country, but quickly developed into so much more – HM Coastguard volunteer Claire has grown into an expert in coastal safety.

Claire Newman has been called to ‘all sorts of incidents’ in the eight years she has been a part of the Mablethorpe rescue team, from lost children to water rescues. It has been a life changing experience for her.




She moved from North Wales to Mablethorpe in 2015 to be nearer her parents; to provide some vital support. And spotted an advert on social media about recruitment for local Coastguard Rescue Officers.

“I turned up on Tuesday evening to see what it was all about,” she said. “I never thought for a moment that I would learn so many new skills, gain so many new friends and that it would change my whole life. I learned to save lives.”

She added: “The skills you learn to enable you to do this include learning how to read a map, tie knots, drive the Coastguard truck offroad and, eventually, gain the expertise to use the sirens.

“I am so grateful to my team members (as well as our colleagues in nearby teams) for their help and support.”

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The next edition of Meet Your Coastguard will feature more from the Mablethorpe Coastguard Rescue Team.

Can’t wait until next week to find out about our teams?

Check out our first three editions in the series:
Visit our new HM Coastguard website to find out even more about what we do: https://hmcoastguard.uk/

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