Behind the scenes at the RNLI College

If you stay in one of the 60 hotel rooms at the College (they all have double beds, air conditioning and a sea view!), you could well be in the neighbouring room to a crew member who might one day save your life, or that of someone you love.

‘Crew really engage with the guests staying here,’ says Jennifer. ‘There was an instance where a volunteer crew member was chatting to a guest, and the guest was so impressed they went straight to reception and made a six-figure donation!’  

World-class training 

There are over 50 training courses available at the College, with the crew emergency procedures course (CEP) being mandatory for new volunteer lifeboat crew. 

‘We aim to put 1,200 crew through the CEP course every year,’ explains Lifesaving Training Manager Alex Evans. ‘It’s a 2-day safety course and covers capsize, sea survival and firefighting. Other courses range from casualty care and seamanship to navigation, and vary in length from 2 days to 5 days. Courses at the College basically accelerate the learning and training done on the coast.’ 

College training facilities include the recently refurbished sea survival pool, which has the technology to simulate waves, wind, rain, darkness, thunder and lightning to make training more realistic. 

‘New crew often turn up at the College and are amazed by its size,’ says Alex. ‘Sometimes they might see their station’s next lifeboat being built in the All-weather Lifeboat Centre, and they’ll take loads of photos to take back home!’ 

Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Alex joined Porthcawl lifeboat crew aged 17. ‘I grew up with a picture of a lifeboat on my bedroom wall, and a RNLI flag on my bed,’ he says. ‘And my choice of university was based on whether there was a lifeboat station there!’  

He joined the College 12 years ago and has helped train thousands of volunteer crew, lifeguards and trainers. ‘Good trainers don’t grow on trees,’ says Alex. ‘They undergo a rigorous day-long interview with different sessions throughout the day, including some time in the sea survival pool to test water confidence.’

Crew learn from the trainers but also from each other. ‘At the lunch or dinner table, crew from different stations will chat about how things work in their own region, and getting those little snippets outside of the classroom setting is priceless. It’s all part of the whole reason the College was built 20 years ago – to be the home of RNLI training.’ 

Atmosphere and location

We’re all familiar with the saying ‘families who eat together stay together’ and this sentiment comes to life when you step inside Riggers Restaurant and see RNLI crew enjoying good food and conversation after a demanding day of training. 

‘When crew are training here, we really look after them,’ says Sam Munro, Food and Beverage Manager. ‘We cater for between 30 and 70 crew per day and offer a different world cuisine buffet every night, from Chinese to Mexican, exclusively for them. Chef tells me crew particularly love the Chinese crispy chilli beef – it flies off the servery! Not to mention the breakfast – crew are very partial to a breakfast bap of sausage, egg and bacon to set them up for the day. I’ve had more than one crew member joke that their waistline expands while at the College, but that’s my job – to make sure our brave lifesavers are well fed.’ 

To raise extra funds for the RNLI, Riggers Restaurant and the Slipway Bar are also open to the public. You can enjoy breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner, and order from the a la carte menu, with every pound spent helping to save lives at sea. 

‘A lot of people come for the atmosphere and location,’ says Sam. ‘Whether they’re enjoying the catch of the day in the restaurant or a Lifesaver ale in the bar, the panoramic view is, in my opinion, second to none.’ 

Retail therapy 

The College is a hub for crew training but also somewhere to relax – and that includes enjoying a spot of retail therapy at the RNLI shop. Its shelves are laden with everything from fudge and tea to jigsaws and yellow wellies. Run by a team of 24 volunteers, the shop is open 7 days a week, from 9am until 5pm, and all profits help save lives at sea. 

‘We have lots of different customers,’ says Ian Cook, who has volunteered at the shop since it opened in August 2011, after retiring from a 40-year career in banking. ‘Crew staying here like to buy branded clothing, or toys for their family. The regulars who come in for lunch might buy greetings cards. Then there’s the people who come during a Launch a Memory event, to buy lifeboat memorabilia. We have queues outside the door all day long during those events.’

Popular shop purchases include teddy bears wearing RNLI uniform, Corgi RNLI lifeboat models, greetings cards and of course, Christmas cards and calendars.

‘The most unusual item we’ve sold is probably RNLI branded deckchairs,’ said Ian. ‘We sold out!’

The shop is in a unique setting – while you’re buying a tea towel, lifeboat crew might be doing flare training just outside. Volunteering there is a role Ian loves. ‘You build friendships here,’ he says. ‘I’m always buying stuff too – a lot of the volunteers do! I often buy the sweets – my daughter loves the foam shrimps, and my wife enjoys the salted caramel honeycomb. Another shop volunteer who spends time in Florida buys boxes of Lifesaver tea to give to his friends out there. We sell around a thousand different items in the shop, so there’s plenty to choose from.’ 

Guided tours 

Official guided tours of the College started in 2009 and one of the first to join the volunteer tour guide team was Angela Davies. In her 15 years as a volunteer, she has shown an eclectic range of people around the College, from members of the Women’s Institute and Special Forces officers to RNLI volunteers.

‘I absolutely love doing the group tours,’ says Angela. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet so many different people – especially the RNLI’s shore volunteers, such as fundraisers and shop volunteers from stations across the UK and Ireland.’ 

As part of their training, volunteer tour guides do the ‘College knowledge’, covering the subjects to talk about on the 90-minute tour – to which volunteers add a dash of their own personality.

‘I try to add a little bit of humour,’ says Angela. ‘I often take people to what we affectionately call the “Queen’s door”, because when Queen Elizabeth II opened the College, The Queen left from this door and boarded a Severn-class lifeboat headed to Castletownbere in Ireland – but The Queen actually just went around the corner, disembarked and got a chopper home! People also enjoy little insights such as, before the College was built, another local company wanted to buy the land, but when they heard that the RNLI had wanted to buy it and build the College there, they stepped aside – a lovely surprise.’   

There have been surprises for Angela too. ‘On the odd occasion, when I’ve thanked people for coming, I’ve had a little round of applause, which is really nice,’ she says. ‘And there was a tour once when a gentleman came for his 80th birthday. He loved the tour so much he changed his Will and left a gift to the RNLI! It’s so fulfilling to know that I’ve made a difference.’ 

'Piece de resistance'

The College is also a venue for corporate or private events – with all the money raised going towards saving lives at sea. From the Waterfront Suite and Harbour View Suite to the College’s conference rooms and classrooms, the waterside location makes the College a popular destination for functions.

‘The majority of our event income comes from corporate bookings,’ says Sally Glover, Marketing and Sales Manager. ‘That’s usually local organisations with an association with the RNLI. We’re also a venue for private functions, which are often large birthday celebrations – we’ve seen 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th, 80th, 90th and even 100th birthdays – as well as christenings or celebrations of life. It’s a beautiful venue to celebrate someone’s life.’  

The College has held events for VIPs, including hosting RNLI President HRH The Duke of Kent last summer, where The Duke met RNLI staff and volunteers, and recognised them for their hard work. ‘The Duke wanted to meet people who make the College tick,’ says Sally. ‘They enjoyed a recognition lunch of salmon and Eton Mess in the Harbour View suite, which is the College’s piece de resistance.’  

Other events at the College include ‘joiner’ Christmas parties which sell out in January every year and, new for this Christmas, the College are trialling a Turkey and Tinsel weekend in November. 

‘Another popular event for us is the Christmas market, which attracts around 2,500 people,’ says Sally. ‘We’ve been running it since 2016 (with a break for Covid) and have over 40 stallholders selling high-end Christmas gifts. Santa arrives by lifeboat!’ 

Since opening, the College has been the venue of choice for people who have an affinity with the RNLI. ‘People choose the College as a venue because it resonates with them. By holding their events here, they are supporting the work of the RNLI – and helping to save lives at sea.’