AN important milestone has been reached by the National Coastwatch Station in Minehead.

It has been recognised as a ‘Declared Facility Status Station’ (DFS), meaning all of its volunteer watchkeepers have been trained to a standard set down and agreed with HM Coastguard.

It usually takes two years for a new station to achieve the DFS status, but Minehead has done it in just 18 months.

A spokesperson said the Minehead achievement was thanks to the training regime set up within the station and the dedicated work of the management team, and the watchkeepers who have gone through the training.

The station covers an area stretching from Minehead Harbour in the west to the golf club in the east and all the way across the Bristol Channel to the Welsh coast.

Watchkeepers run visual watches over Minehead Bay with an aim to ensure everybody is safe while on the beach or in the water, and provide a vital link between the Coastguard and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution if incidents occur.

They keep watch not only on beach users and swimmers but also on all types of leisure craft, from windsurfers and paddle boarders, through the smaller charter vessels and up to the large cargo ships moving up and down the Bristol Channel.

Community engagement officer Malcolm Oyston told the Free Press: “We are extremely proud of what we have achieved in a very short time, to get DFS status in only 18 months is amazing.”

Station manager David Curran said: “With 25 volunteers, the station can operate three days a week, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, statistically when most incidents take place.

“We hope to attract more volunteers and increase the workforce to around 70 so we can operate seven days a week.”

Anybody interested in volunteering should email [email protected] or visit the station.