Volunteers who keep a watchful eye over north Norfolk's stunning coastline will soon be doing so from a much-improved lookout point.

National Coastwatch is currently putting the finishing touches to its revamped lookout station in Wells, which is set to open on Saturday, September 3.

Tony Goddard, station manager, admitted he was delighted with the work that he and other volunteers had carried out.

“It can only be positive for Wells and the people who visit," he said.

"Alongside the new lifeboat station, it can all only be a great thing for the town.

“A gang of four worked very hard to do the work: Deputy manager Peter Stanbridge; roster manager John Tookey; administration officer Tony Eyre; and myself.

“Without us four, we wouldn’t have saved thousands of pounds doing the work, which would have cost a fair bit if we hired contractors."

The refurbished lookout point is located at the end of Beach Road, opposite the new RNLI lifeboat house, and is one of seven National Coastwatch stations in Norfolk and Suffolk.

It can be found 60 feet above the beach and features radar, GPS tracking, north and south-facing long lens cameras and a warning tannoy.

HM Coastguard established the Wells lookout post back in 1953, but it was decommissioned in the late-1990s.

Several years later, however, volunteers from the National Coastwatch Institution reopened the station and started doing the work of coastguards.

Every day of the year, the team works alongside the coastguard, RNLI and the Wells Harbourmaster to keep sailors and the public safe should they get into difficulty, while keeping a note of all vessels leaving and arriving in Wells.


“We are the eyes on the coast 365 days a year, from first thing until 6pm every day,” added Mr Goddard.

“It’s great to have been able to raise funds for the new station, but we are nothing without our volunteers.”

The revamp came to £40,000 and was aided by donations from North Norfolk District Council (£7,500), the Holkham Estate (£5,000) and Wells Harbourmaster (£2,000). The rest came from public donations.

To express an interest in volunteering, simply pop into the lookout point or visit nci.org.uk.