Newsletter, Winter 2010-11

 

Royal Visit

Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, is to visit the Hornsea Inshore Rescue Boathouse to unveil a plaque to officially open it on Tuesday, December 14th.  The Princess Royal will be arriving by helicopter about 10-30 and will be meeting the crew, viewing a mock call-out (weather permitting, this is Hornsea in December!) and meeting all the support team and some of the people we have rescued in the Lions Room.  You are very welcome to come along, but need to let you know that you would not be able to come into the boathouse or compound, and would have to stand outside.  Local schools have been invited, and we hope there is a large crowd to welcome the Princess Royal to Hornsea Rescue on this her second visit.  You may remember that The Princess Royal opened the Leisure Centre early in the 1990’s and also met the crew of Hornsea Inshore Rescue, which was just starting up. 

 

Thank you

We have certainly come a long way since 1993, and would like to thank you all for the wonderful, sustained support we have received over those years which has enabled us to re-locate in our purpose-built Boathouse and Sea-safe Education Centre at the seafront. 

 

New Boat and Tractor

With very grateful thanks to a generous benefactor who wishes to remain anonymous, we have been able to purchase a new-to-us tractor and we have a new rescue lifeboat on order from Humber Inflatable Boats which is due to arrive in January. 

 

The boat is a 6.0m “Offshore Pro” with a 2.6m beam which will be fitted out to comply with the new rescue boat code that will soon come into force.

 

The tractor is a John Deere 4055 which is being modified before it is used in the sea to ensure the saltwater does not damage it.

 

Full details and specifications of the boat and tractor will be posted on the website shortly  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crew Update

We are also very fortunate in having several new crew members who are undergoing training with Sue and Coxswain Neville Metcalf who also runs our RYA courses (see below).  We have had some sadness this year when ‘H’ (Henry Kubicki), crew member, fund-raiser, and enormous enthusiast for Hornsea Rescue died, his huge presence has been and indeed still is being missed by everyone.  Rather appropriately, the new tractor has been christened ‘Henry’ and we hope some of you will be able to join us for our Christmas Charity Disco which ‘H’  initiated last year- details below.

 

Like to find out about becoming a member of the crew?

We especially need men or women aged 18 or over who are in Hornsea during the day from 8-00 until 5-00.  Contact Sue on 07796-257989 to find out how to apply or for more details.  

 

Events and Fund-Raising

The Christmas Charity Disco with Great Prize Raffle is at the Ex-Servicemen’s Club on Back Southgate on Friday 17^th December, and tickets are £5 which includes a buffet supper.  They are available from the Ex-Servicemen’s, Sanbobs and Hot Wines, Sunday mornings from the boathouse, or phone 07947 7369425 (over 18’s only).  Last year’s event was really enjoyable, lots of people having lots of fun and getting in the mood for Christmas festivities.         

 

The Halloween bag-packing session at the Co-op raised over £840, thanks to the generous donators and also to the members of our fund-raising team.  We are always looking out for new members to join our lively, life-saving group, so if you would like to be involved at all, even if it’s just for an hour or so a week, please let us know.

 

 

Would you like to run your own fund-raising event or join our team of fund-raisers?

Contact Fund-raising Co-ordinator Rick Sumner on 01964-532954.

 

Like to help in some other way?  Please phone or Email Sue. 

Full contact details are at the end of the newsletter.

 

 

Group Visits

Over the last year several groups, mainly from Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, have been able to visit the boathouse and these have been hugely successful with some making return visits.  The visit includes being shown round the boathouse, demonstration of the equipment, an informative and enjoyable talk and short video film, plus optional fish and chip lunch delivered by our award-winning restaurant, Whiteheads.  There is only a charge for the lunch- £6 a head as we go to press -which includes tea or coffee.  If you would like to book or know more details please contact Kym Pugh on 01964-536769..

 

Talks and After-Dinner Speeches

Our Chairman Sue Hickson-Marsay’s After-Dinner Speeches have been appreciated for some years now across the country.  As the only female Pilot Launch Coxswain in England (and Wales and Scotland as far as we know) she is quite an exceptional lady, and makes a donation to Hornsea Rescue when she gives her talk or after-dinner speech, “The Storm-tossed Lady”.  Due to her popularity, Sue has had to take on an agent, and consequently is not able to give many talks about Hornsea Rescue locally, but we have a small team who can do that if you know any group which would be interested.  Please contact Sue about any of the talks/speeches.

 

Royal Yachting Association Courses

Coxswain Neville Metcalfe runs our RYA Courses, Levels 1 and 2 in Powerboat Handling and P.W.C (Jet-bike) proficiency course, from the boathouse and if you would like more details please contact him on 01964-530784 or 07881957069.  We are also anticipating starting up a dinghy sailing club next spring/summer, so potential sailors look out for news of this in the press, or have a word with Sue or Neville in the meantime if you might be interested.

 

Operations Report

From January 2010 we have attended over 60 Incidents including

First Responder Incidents, many HIR crew have been trained as First Responders.  At sea, rescues have included two men aged 52 and 84 whose small private fishing boat the Merlin sank a mile off the coast just North of Hornsea (both were taken to Hull Royal Infirmary and fully recovered) and one of the most recent, a joint rescue with the Coastguard when two fossil collectors were cut off by the tide near Atwick.  We have had a winching training exercise during daytime and evening with RAF Leconfield, not for the faint-hearted but a crucial part of crew training. We also train and/or liaise with the RNLI and all the other emergency services, Fire, Police and Ambulance.

 

Happy Christmas

We would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and all you would wish yourself for the coming year.  With Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal coming in mid December and a new boat in January, this will certainly be a Christmas to remember for Hornsea Rescue!

 

Finally, thank you again for your support in enabling us to help make the Hornsea area and coastline as safe as possible.  Our annual costs are approximately £35,000 a year which includes operation costs, training, maintenance of the boathouse and equipment, new equipment and insurance.  Without your generous support there would be no Hornsea Inshore Rescue.  Please let us know of anyone else who would like to receive a copy of our newsletter which comes out twice a year.

 

Contact Details

Sue Hickson-Marsay    07796- 257989  Email hicko04@aol.com

Neville Metcalfe  01964 530784 nevillemetcalfe@googlemail.com

Rick Sumner       01964-534302               

Kym Pugh            01964-536769    kympugh@yahoo.com

Tuesday 6th June 2010

A call-out was received from the coastguard to go to the aid of a fishing boat "Taty". The boat had come from Bridlington and was off Skipsea when she got into difficulty and suddenly sank. Two men were in the water and were reported to have no life jackets. Another fishing boat in the area "Sophie Dawn" was requested to assist by the coastguard. The Hornsea Rescue rapid response jet bike piloted by Ashley Evans arrived on scene at the same time as the RAF Sea-king Helicopter who had luckily been on patrol off Flamborough Head. The Jet Bike then was joined by Hornsea Rescue's R.I.B. "Charity Venture" helmed by Coxswain Sue Hickson-Marsay and crewed by Malcom Dearing. Both stood by while the Sea-King plucked the men from the sea and to safety. The Hornsea Rescue team then searched the area for any debris from the wreck but very little was found. The boat and the jet bike was safely recovered with the aid of the beach team of Matt Arnott, Rob Stevenson and new recruit Richard Clough.  

The members of the Hornsea Ex-Servicemen's Club have shown their support to Hornsea Rescue by raising £1000 over the last few months. The cheque was presented at the club on Sunday 29th May 2010. A big thank you goes out to all who donated and organised events on our behalf. We are hoping to have a Summer Ball at the club in the coming months so please keep an eye on the news and events page for details of tickets etc. All will be welcome and guaranteed a good night if the Christmas party is anything to go by.

Civic visitor sees real-life rescue drama as Hornsea man is plucked from the sea.

East Riding of Yorkshire chairman, Councillor Christopher Matthews, found himself in the middle of of a real life rescue on the day he went to inspect the new Hornsea Inshore Rescue Boathouse. Cllr Matthews arrival was imminent when the call-out was received and many of the other guests including the Mayor of Hornsea Cllr. John Miller and Deputy Mayor Cllr John Whittle were wondering if it was a mock call-out to show how quickly the crew could respond.

It soon became evident that the call was the real thing after a report of a man in severe difficulties and on the verge of drowning had been spotted off Hornsea's central promenade. The emergency services swung into action and Hornsea Inshore Rescue was soon on the scene.

The man was then recovered to the beach where Hornsea Rescue's team of first responders took care of the man using the skills and equipment provided to them by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service as part of the Community First Responder scheme. The man's condition was serious and rapidly deteriorating so the RAF Rescue Helicopter was called in and landed on the beach close by. The man was transfered to the helicopter and taken to Hull Royal Infirmary.

Back at the boathouse Cllr Mathews continued with his visit which included a "thank you" to the crew once they had changed from their rescue gear. Cllr Mathews later said "I came to see a big project for which local people had raised the money, when I actually saw it I was even more impressed. This building far exceeded my expectations. The whole setup is so very professional. What is provided here is a very special service for those who make use of our coast but what is really impressive is the community spirit that has driven the project forward. I am well aware that none of this would have been possible without the commitment of the Hornsea rescue volunteers and the people who support them. This is something that the people of Hornsea and the East Riding can be justly very proud of". 

Friends of Hornsea Inshore Rescue

 

Spring 2010 Newsletter

 

Thank you all

First of all we would like to thank everyone who has contributed over the last year to enable us to have the boathouse operational.  The support we have received from everyone in and around Hornsea, and further afield, whether they be groups, individuals, businesses, or charitable trusts, has been absolutely amazing.  We have a list of well over one hundred contributors, in cash, kind, or some other form of support.  Everyone should be very proud of what has been achieved, - thank you all, from everyone at Hornsea Rescue.

 

Boathouse Opening Dates and Times

We are absolutely delighted that the new Boathouse/Lifeboat Station, Sea-Safe Education and Visitor Centre will be completely open from Easter, and we welcome visitors every day from 11-00 until 4-00 during local school holidays, as well as weekends and Bank Holidays, until the end of September.

 

Group Visits

If your group would like to visit for a short talk and film about the work of Hornsea Rescue, please contact Sue or Polly (details below) or call in at the boathouse when it is open.  We also welcome visitors from further afield for a day visit to Hornsea, when they can spend some time with us and also enjoy all the other attractions which Hornsea has to offer.  Please contact us for an information pack; we are encouraging more visitors to come here.  Evening visits are also possible; again, please contact us for details and spread the word!

 

 

Crew Recruitment

Now that we are at the new boathouse, we are recruiting more crew members.  Anyone over 18, male or female, who is confident in water, can apply.  The first step is to phone our Chairman and Coxswain Sue Hickson-Marsay for an informal chat.  All crew receive Royal Yachting Association training and can eventually become coxswains.  Recently we joined with Hornsea’s First Responders so all crew members are now trained as First Responders as well. 

 

Sue’s Talks

Our Chairman Sue Hickson-Marsay, who is the only female pilot launch coxswain in the country, gives talks and after-dinner speeches to groups across the country and is now renowned as “The Storm-Tossed Lady”.  Sue raises money at the talks for Hornsea Inshore Rescue; please contact her for details.

 

Events at the Boathouse

Bank Holiday Sunday or Monday – Sea Safety, car boot, Carnival Committee Raft Race, plant stalls etc.

August Bank Holiday Monday – Sea Safety, car boot, stalls.

 

Fund Raising

We always welcome individuals or groups fund-raising, as we have running costs of 30,000 a year.  Please contact our Fund-raising Co-ordinator Rick Sumner if you would like to fund-raise for us, join our own fund-raising team, or have any ideas at all for raising funds.  Fund-raiser Shirley on 07989 658608 will collect any tombola prizes, unwanted gifts, gift wrap, soft toys or anything suitable for children’s Lucky Dips. And please look out for posters in Hornsea shops advertising our events.  If you would like a cardboard collection cube to collect loose change in for us please collect one from Paul the Barber’s or Hampsons, both on Newbegin, or phone Polly and Ian to have one delivered.

  

AGM

Our AGM this year is at the Victoria in Market Place on Tuesday April 13^th at 7-30, with light refreshments.  Everyone welcome. 

 

Contact Details

Sue Hickson-Marsay, Chairman  07796 257989, hicko04@aol.com

Secretary Polly Worsdale  01964-534302, polly_hornsea@hotmail.com

Fund-Raising Co-ordinator Rick Sumner, 01964-532954

For sea/coastal emergencies  call 999 and ask for Coastguard