Cullercoats lifeboat helmsmen, crew and shore team.

Helmsmen

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  Robert Oliver Senior Helmsman / Station Mechanic Crew No 1

  Robert Oliver has been a member of the crew for decades. He is the son of former coxswain, Raymond Oliver. He is also a local fisherman and has a vast knowledge of the rocks, tides and currents off our bit of the coast. Robert also takes care of the mechanical side of the boat and tractor, and spends hundreds of hours a year ensuring the lifeboat is always ready for service.

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  Paul Tooke Helmsman Crew No 2

  Paul Tooke was a local fisherman who fished from Blyth for many years. Due to the decline in fishing Paul now skippers a boat which serves the wind farms around our coast. He has been in the crew for many years and is one of our helmsmen. He is married to wife Anna-Marie and they have 2 childen: Georgina and Harrison.

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  Peter Clark Helmsman Crew No 4

  Peter is a local fisherman, fishing from North Shields. He has been on the crew for many years, and is another of our helmsmen.

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  Kris Wilkinson Helmsman Crew No 5

  Kris Wilkinson is another who has been on the crew for many years. Though he did take 5 years out to join the Royal Marine Commandos, wearing the coveted Green Beret. Kris is a fireman with the Northumbria Fire Service. He joined our elite rank of Helmsmen in April 2004.

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  Tom Carr Helmsman Crew No 3

  Tom Carr is a long standing member of the crew. If you look at our service pages, you’ll see that he is very likely to have been out on the latest shout. A fast runner, it seems!. He worked for the construction team that built our new baothouse extension.

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  Scott Jones Helmsman Crew No 6

  Scott Jones started as a helper around the station for many years, and he was finally able to join the crew on his 17th birthday. Scott works currently for the ambulance service and is one of our newest helmsmen, He is the proud farther to Emma and Ross.

Crew

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  Grahame Wood Crew No 7

  Grahame Wood first came to our attention when working as a Senior Beach Lifeguard on Cullercoats Beach. He’s a little more mature (in years at least) than some of our crew, but is a very important part of the Cullercoats Lifeboat team. He passed his Helms course with Scott in 2008 and hopes to become a helmsman one day. Grahame works at a local secondary school.

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  Ben Bradshaw Crew No 9

  Ben joined the crew in late 2005, and has quickly become a reliable and important member of the station. He is a plumber by trade and he told Cullercoats Lifeboat Online “I’ve wanted to join the crew for years, and after last summer I decided to take the plunge and join, and I definatly don’t regret it.” In 2009 Ben passed his Helms Course in Poole.

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  Mark Pendlington Crew No 8

  Mark joined the crew on his 17th Birthday but has been involved in the service for many years prior. Mainly due to the fact that his father, Dave used to be one of our helmsmen, before moving onto bigger boats at Tynemouth. Mark is a joiner — and has been recently involved with a extensive re-hab of the boathouse.

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  Neil Thackray Crew No 10

  Neil has been on the crew over a year and has alread been involved in a number of major services. He lives overlooking the station and is always on the look-out for our next job. Neil enjoys surfing and recently competed in the Great North Run in aid of the RNLI. Neil is loving being part of the lifeboat crew at Cullercoats.

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  Gary Hawksford Crew No 11

  Gary is a relatively new member of the crew at Cullercoats Lifeboat but is already settling in and become a very promising and highly-committed addition to the station.

  Gary works as maintenence engineer at a local Ice Skating Establishment. In his spare time; Gary is a keen diver and has spent many years instructing diving both at home and abroad. He also often works on local fishing boats with various local fisherman — something he much enjoys. Gary hopes to have a long and productive relationship with the RNLI here at Cullercoats.

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  Steve Raymond Crew No 12

  Steve has rejoined the crew after a few years away. He is a vauled member of the crew who works for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue.

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  Stephen Potts Crew No 14

  Stephen worked as a lifeguard on the beaches of North Tyneside. After seeing the excellent work the RNLI does he decided to join the crew. He now works at the local leisure centre.

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  Mark Winch Crew No 15

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  Matt Taylor Crew No 16

  Matt is a former soldier who moved to Cullercoats after leaving the Army. After trying his luck at a few different trades he is now part way through his first years training as a paramedic.

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  Ross Dunn Crew No 17

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  Sven Larsen Crew No 18

  Sven is a Senior Lifeguard working for the RNLI on our local beaches.

Shore Team

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  Frank Taylor Lifeboats Operations Manager

  Frank Taylor is a member of one of the village’s long standing lifeboat families. He also takes a keen interest in the local fishing industry, having acted as secretary of the local Fishermen’s Association for some years and fishing out of his own coble. He also has a vast collection of Lifeboat photographs and memorabilia — some of which are featured on this site.

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  Brian Reeds Lifeboats Press Officer

  Brian Reeds is our press officer. He was previously Lifeboats Operations Manager and stepped down from this role in 2009. Brian was also secretary of an RNLI fund-raising branch before moving back to the Cullercoats area. Brian takes a great interest in the history of the station and its crews.

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  Simon Crow Tractor Driver / Shore Crew

  Lifeboat Tractor Driver Simon is a local school teacher who lives very near the station and is always one of the first crew to the station on a call out.

• Robert Saddler Shore Crew

  Robert is a member of our shore crew.

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  David Hodgson Lifeboats Treasurer

  Lifeboats Treasurer David has just recently taken on the role of Lifeboat Treasurer.

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  Ken Saddler Committee Member and Shop Manager

  As well as being on the committee Ken now, together with his wife Dulcie operate the small souvenir shop that is housed within the boathouse.

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  Sandy KinghornEducational Visits Officer

  Educational Visits Officer Sandy Kinghorn joined the Cullercoats Lifeboat several years ago, soon after retiring from a life at sea in the merchant navy. He shows parties of young people and adults around the Cullercoats Lifeboat station, and gives talks/slideshows about the good old days at sea, all in aid of the RNLI.

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  Davy AnkersDLA

  DLA Davy is currently one of the station’s DLAs (Deputy launching authority). Davie runs a car body repair and re-spray business just above the bank top at Cullercoats. He was once a member of the crew here.

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  Tommy Taylor

  DLA

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  Bob CassonDLA

Cullercoats Lifeboat Management Committee.

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  David Wakenshaw

• Chairperson

• David has served as our chairperson for several years now.

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  Frank Taylor

• Lifeboats Operations Manager

  Frank Taylor is a member of one of the village’s long standing lifeboat families. He also takes a keen interest in the local fishing industry, having acted as secretary of the local Fishermen’s Association for some years and fishing out of his own coble. He also has a vast collection of Lifeboat photographs and memorabilia — some of which are featured on this site.

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    Sandy Kinghorn
    

  • Education Visits Officer

  Educational Visits Officer Sandy Kinghorn joined the Cullercoats Lifeboat several years ago, soon after retiring from a life at sea in the merchant navy. He shows parties of young people and adults around the Cullercoats Lifeboat station, and gives talks/slideshows about the good old days at sea, all in aid of the RNLI.

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  Brian Reeds

• Lifeboats Press Officer

  Brian Reeds is our press officer. He was previously Lifeboats Operations Manager and stepped down from this role in 2009. Brian was also secretary of an RNLI fund-raising branch before moving back to the Cullercoats area. Brian takes a great interest in the history of the station and its crews.

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  Bill Gould
  

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  Details to be added soon

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  Geoff French
  

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  Details to be added soon.