Felixstowe Volunteer Coast Patrol & Rescue Service (as it was known then, now Felixstowe Coast Patrol & Rescue) was formed in 1997 in Suffolk, as a direct response to the closure of the local HM Coastguard rescue boat. 

The service’s founder, John Cresswell, was an employee of HMCG and knew the importance of the rescue boat and felt that the area needed such an asset. The charity started small with not much to their name, but through John’s hard work and effort the charity went from strength to strength over the years, purchasing their first purpose built RIB named ‘Volunteer’ which served the charity well for many years and saved dozens of lives. 

Funding has always been a major issue, as well as having a permanent base, but in recent years the team has been very lucky to have help from some local companies, as well as the East of England Co-Op a base. The latest purpose-built RIB ‘Last Orders’ was made possible by a generous donation by a local couple that used to own a local pub (hence the name), so the team now has two RIBs. 

The charity has been going through a transformation in the last year, with new branding, a new name, new training programs, formalising a lot of processes and procedures, as well as aiming to achieve Rescue Boat coding in 2023. 

The hope is that NILA will also provide Felixstowe Coast Patrol with more recognition as well as giving the chance to lean on peers around the country for advice on achieving Rescue Boat coding. 

Thankfully the organisation have an excellent group of volunteers and many more on a waiting list, so the future looks bright, and the team hopes to be serving the community for many years to come.