Why locals should join Bridlington RNLI: Crew member explains why he loves the RNLI and how it has changed his life

Jason Webber is a builder by trade but is a helmsman, crew member and navigator with the RNLI.

Many assume volunteering is unfeasible alongside a working week. However, Mr Webber said: “It’s quite flexible with the lifeboat, they don’t expect you to give them every minute of the day.

“What they like is if you can give at least one exercise a month and be able to respond to shouts or pager systems.”

An experience Mr Webber will never forget is being sent 72 miles out to sea with his two brothers to look for an American fighter pilot who had gone down.

Mr Webber said: “The thing that sticks out in my mind about it is when we launched it was thick fog, all the way out there was foggy - until we got to the search area.

“It was spooky! It all cleared and we had a 15 mile area to search. Sadly, it was a fatality, but that is what we are here for - to do our best and assist where we can.”

Mr Webber is a former Royal Marine and he has been able to rediscover the camaraderie he experienced in the marines with the RNLI team.

Mr Webber said: “It’s like a big family, we are all here to support each other and do the job together.”

To volunteer with the RNLI you do not have to have any specialist training to be part of the team.

Mr Webber said: “The main thing people ask me is ‘do I have to be a fisherman?’ or ‘do I need to have experience at sea?’

“The main thing with the RNLI is we develop the training. It doesn’t matter if you have never been to sea in your life or a boat, no experience is required.

“It doesn’t matter what skills people have, just be aware that the opportunity is there to come down, learn new skills and perhaps develop stuff people are unfamiliar with.”

For more information on the Bridlington RNLI team and how to become a volunteer, visit: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/bridlington-lifeboat-station