The RNLI attracts volunteers from all walks of life to help as shore crew, crew on the boats and fundraising. At Rye Harbour we have many varied daytime / evening occupations amongst the crew ranging from HGV drivers to being part of the police force and all stops in between.
Paul Ramsey joined our team at the harbour in April 2021 as shore crew. He showed his dedication to training by achieving passes in all his shore crew modules on his shore plan by July 2021. There is a great deal to learn and the training is world class. To achieve this alongside a demanding day / evening / weekend job shows how keen he was to become a qualified member of the team.
Paul was born in Bexleyheath and went to the local secondary school near Dartford. When he left school, he pursued a career in the building trade and went on to become a window installer. A change of tack saw him being a taxi driver, HGV driver and for a period of time he ran his own haulage company.
He and his wife, Debbie, decided to become publicans in their local pub in Medway, Kent. It is a demanding job and commitment is necessary just as it is needed by those who volunteer in the RNLI. He moved to Winchelsea two and a half years ago and runs The New Inn at Winchelsea.
He has always been around boats and has owned a few over the years. He is a keen angler too, and knows how reassuring it is to be only a phone call away from the HM Coastguard if he ever got into trouble on the water.
He always promised himself that if he ever moved into an area where there was a RNLI Lifeboat station that he would volunteer to join the crew whose goal is always to save lives at sea.
Paul, now moves on to his tractor plan and is keen to get all the modules passed so he can assist when the boat launches. There are many modules and driving is not the only accomplishment needed. The training that he receives through the RNLI is second to none and this ensures that when the boat is tasked by HM Coastguard to attend to a shout it is launched safely.
If you have time during the day to become a volunteer and join the motivated team at Rye Harbour get in touch with Paul Bolton paul_bolton@rnli.org.uk and find out what it entails.
Image Credits: kt bruce .