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Latest Helm and crew member for Cullercoats RNLI

Lifeboats News Release

The RNLI offers congratulations to Cullercoats crew members, Paul Errington who has passed out as Helm and Hannah Oliver who has passed out as crew on the station’s Atlantic 85.

RNLI/Alex Bateman

Paul and Hannah following their successful assessments
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Paul, a local mortgage advisor has volunteered as a crew member at Cullercoats since 2017 and was put on his Helm plan in 2020. Since joining the crew, Paul has been involved in many service calls and showed dedication and skill that led to him undertaking the challenging Helm training plan. Paul has passed all aspects, both written and practical assessments relating to command of the lifeboat - passing them all with flying colours.

Hannah is the 8th generation of the Oliver family to have volunteered at Cullercoats, continuing the family tradition of saving lives at sea. 'Miss Oliver’ as she’s known to many young people in the community, is a teaching assistant at a local school and has been volunteering with Cullercoats since 2019. She has overcome the challenges of training throughout the pandemic to pass out as a full crew member, being competent in all aspects of readying and crewing the lifeboat for service calls.

Kay Heslop, Lifeboat Operations Manager said: ‘I am thrilled for both Paul and Hannah who have both worked incredibly hard in what has been a challenging time for learning and development for the RNLI. They are both incredible assets to the station and will help to keep the community we serve safe whilst spending time enjoying our beautiful coastline.'

Congratulations Paul and Hannah from all volunteers at Cullercoats. The team looks forward to serving with you.


Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.

About the author

Alex Bateman
Lifeboat Press Officer, Cullercoats Lifeboat Station

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