A new set of volunteers have passed out of the new training programme at Penarth RNLI.

The volunteers have completed the Operational Competency Framework (OCF).

They are the most recent recruits to have finished and received their crew jumpers in May.

The new graduates are Georgina Ewer, Nicola Anderson, Martin Hayes and Robert Edmunds.

Ms Anderson said: "I moved to Wales 3 years ago and wanted to meet new people and learn about the sea.

"I work with volunteers in the Welsh Ambulance Service and saw the joy people got from volunteering and helping their community and wanted to do my bit too."

Penarth Times: Martin Hayes has joined the team

Mr Edmunds remembered how he was inspired to join as he said: "Just being in the outdoors is my happy place.

"I can remember as a young child seeing the flares go up to call the crew to the Port Eynon Station and over the years, I have looked at how I might get involved."

Penarth Times: Nicola Anderson has finished the training

Ms Ewer joined the crew to meet new people, she said: "I am a sports physiotherapist and during the Covid times I would walk past the lifeboat station many times and having moved to the area recently, didn’t know many people and thought that joining the crew would be a great way to make new friends."

Each of them had their own inspiration and motivation to learn and support the community.

Ms Anderson had previous sea experience from working on a cruise ship, she explained: "When I joined I wanted to learn ‘the ropes’ and hoped I could use my experience as a paramedic to help others."

Mr Edmunds said: "I started as trainee crew in October 2022 with the aspiration to help people at sea, meet more local people and have fun at the same time.

"And it’s fair to say I love it!"

Penarth Times: Georgina Ewer has now finished her training

The volunteers trained mainly at the station but also attended courses at RNLI college in Poole.

Ms Ewer said: "I started in the station training from October 2021 and passed my Tier 1 in 2023 so I have been on the Tier 2 pathway for some months now."

Mr Edmunds said: "Being able to help people in their moment of need, being part of something that means so much to the local community, and the real sense of one crew at the station, all of us coming together to save lives at sea."

The team are now looking ahead to their tier two training.

To learn more about the Penarth Lifeboat Station, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RNLIPenarth.