Flag marking 30 years of National Coastwatch Institution arrives in Felixstowe

A flag that is undertaking a 2,000-mile relay around the country to mark the 30 years of a coastwatch charity has reached Suffolk.

On Friday, the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) in Felixstowe received the anniversary flag from Essex Marine Police by sea.

The flag, which was previously at Southend-on-Sea, in Essex, bears the name of each of the 60 NCI stations.

Nick Barrett, station manager of the Felixstowe branch, described the handover event as emotional.

“It was amazing,” he said. “About half of our team was there and several of them said they had tears in their eyes when they saw the flotilla of vessels bringing the flag to us.”

The relay, which kicked off in from NCI Fleetwood station in Lancashire on June 3, is more than halfway through its journey.

It is due to end by September at the most northerly station in Filey, North Yorkshire.

It will then be delivered to Trinity House in London for a special commemorative event.

NCI volunteers have been described as the ‘eyes and ears’ of the sea, who help support The Coastguard in search and rescue efforts.

More than 2,700 volunteers maintain a daily watch along the coast in England and Wales, with 74 volunteers in Felixstowe.

Mr Barrett said: “I feel that we play a vital role in the preservation of life.

“We’re constantly watching people on the beach and in the water – kayakers, paddle boarders, fishing boats, sailors anybody that’s in the water and we’re often the very first people to spot that something is wrong.”

The NCI volunteers in Felixstowe watch over four miles of the seashore and alert The Coastguard if they spot anyone who is in danger.

The charity was set up in 1994 after two fishermen lost their lives off the Cornish coast below a recently closed coastguard lookout.

Nick, who became a volunteer five years ago, said: “After the incident in Cornwall, the locals said it can’t happen again.

“It’s a privilege to do such an important job and be respect by people.

“Anybody doing anything for charity is brilliant but in particular we feel we make a colossal difference to people’s safety.”

The flag was handed over to NCI Gorleston in Norfolk on Saturday.