Images by Jonathan Myers

First published on 24/12/23

It’s 2pm on a windy Tuesday and everyone in the coastal town of Penarth is hiding out in the local restaurants and coffee shops. The seafront is desolate as the chilly air has taken hold and locals have clearly swapped any seaside strolls that might have been on the cards to retreat to a day indoors.

All, that is, except a few intrepid souls working away in the town’s RNLI branch and lifeboat station. I arrive to find them preparing a lifeboat launch as today is no ordinary day. Some volunteers are preparing to embark on a training exercise and, to my dismay, walked straight into the brisk water before piling around a small boat, heaving themselves onto it, and sailing off into the abyss. My gormless expression said it all. I don’t quite know how I thought they got onto the boat. Perhaps some graceful piece of machinery led them into the channel and glided the crew swiftly on to the choppy waters. I don’t know.

But walking into the water and heaving themselves up like it was as normal as getting out of the bath definitely wasn’t what I had in mind. Immediately pleased the RNLI’s safety regulations prohibited me from doing the same I headed into the station to nose around the equipment and find out what a day in the life here truly looks like and meet the crew.

I went upstairs in the station first where an office sat at the top of the building, looking out onto the sea, was beginning to be engulfed by darkness as the evening encroached. Spirits were high as the volunteers flicked the kettle on and gathered around packets of biscuits that lay out on the tables, and you could sense the determination for the day ahead.

You can read the full piece here.