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Monday 10am - 3pm Friday 10am - 3pm Saturday 10am - 3pm Sunday 10am - 3pm

Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade

Name: Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade
Address: The Watch House, Tynemouth, NE304, GB
Telephone: +447745290053
Price range: Not applicable

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Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade

Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade (TVLB) is a voluntary shore-based coastal rescue service. TVLB operates as a charity.

We are the declared facility to HM Coastguard in North Tyneside, operating in rope, search, water rescue and first aid 24-7 365 days of the year

Founded in 1864 we are one of the last remaining trained teams for Ship to Shore Breeches Buoy Rescue. Operating from our Watch House Museum in Tynemouth on the North East coast of England, we work closely with other emergency services depending on need

and type of rescue. The Watch House Museum is free to visit on Bank Holidays and weekends from Easter until the end of August. In recent years the Brigade has averaged over 150 callouts a year and these range from monitoring and gathering information to providing first aid in coastal locations and recovering cliff casualties. All donations and support are gratefully received.

03/09/2026

122/26 – Thursday 3rd September 2026 – 08.24h – HM Coastguard tasked the Brigade & Blyth Coastguard Rescue Team to support Northumbria Police with a person in crisis in the Cullercoats area. Shortly after members from both teams arrived on scene, the casualty was taken into care by Police officers, and all rescue units were stood down.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: Five

01/09/2026

Following a cooling of temperatures in North Tyneside across the past few weeks, the rate of incidents for our Rescue Team has significantly dropped with 13 calls in August – our lowest total for this month since 2020.

Our total of 121 for the year is still the second highest we’ve ever had by the start of September, although considerably lower than the 149 we had attended at this point last year.

Notable calls across the past month have included:
- 12th August: two people in difficulty in the sea north of Cullercoats Bay after being washed out of their kayak. Thankfully, they were being observed by the crew of Cullercoats RNLI who quickly launched and rescued them from the water.
- 15th August: Following a mayday call to a vessel taking on water just south of the Tyne Piers, the crew of three were rescued by the Pilot Cutter from the Port of Tyne. The vessel subsequently sank.
- 18th August: Supporting the multi-agency search for Liam Potts who was missing in the River Tyne near to Wylam. Team members carried out searches alongside colleagues from HM Coastguard, Mountain Rescue Teams (North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team& Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team) & Northumbria Police. Liam’s body was recovered later that day, and our thoughts remain very much with his family and friends.

This coming weekend marks the end of the annual provision of RNLI Lifeguards Tyne & Wear across four of our local beaches. The Lifeguards are a vital service who prevent hundreds of incidents each year, while also responding quickly to emergencies. We thank them for their work and look forward to their return in late Spring 2027.

31/08/2026

🔦 MUSEUM MONDAY 🔦

This alone is worth a visit to our watch house museum… it’s an absolute corker!

There are a few weekends left to visit before we close the museum for the winter.

We’re open 10-3 for the next two weekends and entry is free.

29/08/2026

121/26 – Saturday 29th August – 09.16h – HM Coastguard tasked the Brigade to check on the welfare of a swimmer off Tynemouth Longsands who was thought to be in difficulty. As team members made their way to the area, the Coastguard received an update that the person was now in a position of safety and the rescue team was stood down.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: Seven

28/08/2026

120/26 – Friday 28th August – 15.41h – The Brigade was requested by HM Coastguard to investigate a report of two people possibly cut off by the tide to the north of Cullercoats Bay. As nine team members made their way towards the area, RNLI Lifeguards Tyne & Wear confirmed that the pair were now in a place of safety and the Brigade was stood down.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: Nine

25/08/2026

119/26 – Sunday 23rd August – 17.25h – A very observant member of the public spotted a man on a paddleboard a significant distance offshore from Whitley Bay in blustery conditions. HM Coastguard, after speaking with the first informant, tasked the Brigade to locate and observe the paddleboarder and advise if further action was required. Team members quickly arrived on scene and met with the informant who helped identify the casualty. Even using binoculars, it was difficult to get a clear view of the man due to the distance he was from shore, and the testing sea conditions – that said, it did appear that he wasn’t wearing a lifejacket or buoyancy aid. Out of an abundance of caution, the Coastguard tasked Cullercoats RNLI to launch and check on the man’s welfare. The Lifeboat quickly reached the scene and spoke with the man, but he said he was OK and declined several offers to board the lifeboat. Over the next hour, the man paddled against the sea and made his way back to Cullercoats, with the Lifeboat shadowing him at sea, and Brigade members keeping watch from the shore. Once at Cullercoats Bay, Brigade members spoke with the man, who apologised for the inconvenience that had been caused, and did explain that he had a leash for his board and had his phone in a waterproof bag. The team explained the concerns that had been raised for his safety and why rescuers had focused on him for the past 90 minutes.
All rescue units were stood down at 19.00h.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: Five

24/08/2026

MUSEUM MONDAY

Today, we’ve got a bit more history on the formation of TVLB and how it came to be a world-first 🌟

22/08/2026

Yesterday we joined the family and friends of Hon. Capt. Bryan Hodgson at his funeral at Tynemouth crematorium.

With the agreement of his family, Bryan was given full Brigade honours with the cortege escorted by one of our vehicles, the route lined by members who then escorted him to the entrance, and then colleagues and friends of Bryan acting as his pallbearers. It was an honour for the Brigade to be able to recognise his many years of service and friendship to TVLB.

After the funeral, the team gathered at the Stanley memorial for a group photo - taking a moment to remember the shipwreck in 1864 which led to our formation.

18/08/2026

118/26 – Tuesday 18th August – 09.50h – HM Coastguard took part in multi-agency searches of the Wylam area of the River Tyne following the disappearance of a 22-year-old man over the weekend. Brigade members joined Coastguard Rescue Officers from Amble Coastguards & Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team to work alongside two Senior Coastal Operations Officers (HM Coastguard NE), officers from Northumbria Police, and volunteers from Mountain Rescue Teams. During the late afternoon, Police search teams located a body, thought to be of the missing man. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this very sad time.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: Four

16/08/2026

117/26 – Saturday 15th August – 14.57h – HM Coastguard received a mayday call from a 14ft vessel taking on water somewhere near the Tyne Piers, with the exact location unknown. Initially Tynemouth RNLI lifeboat and the Brigade was tasked to locate the vessel and offer assistance.
As team members arrived on scene, the situation developed with the boat sinking to the south of the South Tyne Pier, and the crew of three being rescued by the Pilot Cutter from Port of Tyne. The Brigade was then stood down with the 3 crew brought to the south side of the river and met by members of South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade (SSVLB) & Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team.

Number of Brigade members in attendance: Eight

Address

The Watch House
Tynemouth
NE304

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 3pm
Friday	10am - 3pm
Saturday	10am - 3pm
Sunday	10am - 3pm

Telephone

+447745290053

Website

http://www.tvlb.org/

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