WELCOME TO TYNEMOUTH VOLUNTEER LIFEBRIGADE
On Call 24/7 : 365 Days of the year : Whatever the weather.
The Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade is a voluntary shore based coastal search and rescue service founded in 1864. We are a Declared Facility to HM Coastguard for Rope Rescue, Water Rescue, Coastal Search and Rescue and also have advanced first aid capabilities.
TAKE PART IN OUR
SUMMER RAFFLE
AND SUPPORT OUR CAUSE!
Our summer raffle is running until the 20th June! We have over 50 prizes donated by lots of the fantastic local businesses and supporters - each entry costs just £2.00 and there are lots of chances to win.
THE WATCH HOUSE MUSEUM
The Museum displays artefacts, pictures and relics from old shipwrecks chronicling the history of lifesaving on our coastline since 1864. Click on the link below for more information and opening times.
TVLB BRITISH WOOL GANSEY
Now for sale via our knitwear partner Jo Storie designed in Northumberland and knitted in in a small artisanal factory in Cumbria, using yarn from British farmers in Yorkshire Mill and finally embroidered in Whitley Bay
Latest news
113/26 – Saturday 8th August – 23.56h – Northumbria Police received a report of a 15-year-old intoxicated in the area of Tynemouth Haven. The Police contacted HM Coastguard and the Brigade was requested to attend.![]()
The first Brigade members on scene located the casualty sat at the roadside. The team stayed in the location until Police officers arrived who then arranged to take the child home. The Brigade was stood down at 00.19h. ![]()
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Number of Brigade members in attendance: Six
112/26 – Saturday 8th August – 01.23h – HM Coastguard tasked the Brigade, Blyth Coastguard Rescue Team & Tynemouth RNLI lifeboat to support Northumbria Police with a person in crisis in the Tynemouth area. ![]()
As the first team member arrived on scene, the Coastguard stood down all coastal rescue resources as they received confirmation that the casualty was now in a place of safety. ![]()
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Number of Brigade members in attendance: Two
111/26 – Tuesday 4th August – 19.16h – HM Coastguard tasked the Brigade & Cullercoats RNLI after a 13-year-old boy was reported to be in difficulty in the sea at the North end of Tynemouth Longsands. Thankfully, the boy was quickly rescued by two members of the public using surfboards. Once ashore, although conscious, the child was found to be cold and so he was taken to hospital by ambulance for further assessment and treatment. Officers from Northumbria Police were also in attendance at this call. ![]()
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Number of Brigade members in attendance: Seven
With great sadness, the Brigade has been informed of the passing of Honorary Captain Bryan Hodgson at the end of July.![]()
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Bryan joined the Brigade in 1968 and retired from the Rescue Team in 2011. During his service with the Brigade, he witnessed the transition from a team focused primarily on Breeches Buoy rescues to a multi-functional rescue team. Before mobile phones became commonplace, Bryan, with the help of his wife, Jan, was responsible for ringing the team in the event of a major incident or search – before then coming along to join in with the incident. He had the ability to wake up a Brigade member, get their attention, pass the key callout information, and then hangup in 10 seconds down to a fine art! ![]()
Following a period of national service, Bryan was a chef by trade, and his BBQs, cakes and ham & pea soup remain legendry throughout the team.![]()
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Two other stand out memories of Bryan included his tireless work emptying the many collection boxes we have in local pubs, clubs and shops, and the many hours he used to spend untangling and re-packing the lines attached to our Breeches Buoy rockets.![]()
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Bryan is fondly remembered by many in the Brigade, and we are all very sad to hear of his passing.![]()
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His cremation will take place on Friday 21st August at Tynemouth Crematorium, starting at 12.45pm.
Our Rescue Team attended 26 incidents during July, taking our total for the year to 108. This is only the second time in our history that we have passed 100 callouts for a year by this point, (during 2025 we received 127 calls up until the end of July).![]()
This July also ranks as our second busiest on record, with the 26 calls only surpassed by the 29 incidents we attended during July 2019.![]()
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Across the past month the incidents have included:![]()
– Nine calls to support other services with people in crisis including one incident where our team carried out a water rescue for a person in immediate danger.![]()
– Two requests to prepare the Helicopter Landing Site near to the RVI and to assist the crews of Coastguard Rescue Helicopters as they transferred injured casualties to hospital.![]()
– Two calls involving people in difficulty in the sea – tragically, this included the death of a man at Cullercoats Bay on 19th July.![]()
– Two calls to a yacht that came ashore just north of the entrance to Seaton Sluice harbour.![]()
– One false alarm with good intent and two false alarms believed to have been maliciously sent to the Coastguard.![]()
– Attendance during the multi-agency response to the collision involving two vessels on the River Tyne on 19th July.![]()
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During the 26 calls, we have worked closely with many fellow coastal rescue organisations including South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade (SSVLB); HM Coastguard including their operation room based in Bridlington (Humber Coastguard), their local Area Management Team (HM Coastguard NE), Blyth Coastguard Rescue Team, and Coastguard Rescue Helicopter crews; the RNLI including their Beach Lifeguards (RNLI Lifeguards Tyne & Wear) and Lifeboats based at Cullercoats RNLI & Tynemouth RNLI lifeboat. We also work regularly with the North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, Northumbria Police & the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service.![]()
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Although the rate of callouts has been intense, our team of 20 volunteers have all regularly attended the calls which helps to share the demand– we are also continually grateful for the support of our members’ families, friends and employers, and the wider community that ensure the continuum of the work of TVLB. ![]()
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Further information on our four most recent incidents (including the first two for August), are shown below: ![]()
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107/26 – Friday 31st July 2026 – 18.11h – HM Coastguard tasked the Brigade to Tynemouth Longsands after receiving a report of concern for the safety of two paddleboarders sighted some distance offshore. Cullercoats RNLI carried out a welfare check on the pair who confirmed that they were OK with no further assistance required. All rescue resources were stood down at 18.43h. ![]()
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Number of Brigade members in attendance: Six![]()
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108/26 – Friday 31st July 2026 – 19.38h – A short time later, the Brigade was tasked alongside Blyth Coastguard Rescue Team & Tynemouth RNLI lifeboat to support a police incident taking place at North Shields Fish Quay.![]()
Team members volunteered for around two hours before the incident was brought to a safe conclusion. The North East Ambulance Service were also in attendance at this call. ![]()
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Number of Brigade members in attendance: Nine![]()
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109/26 – Saturday 1st August 2026 – 15.36h – HM Coastguard tasked the Brigade to liaise with Cullercoats RNLI regarding a vessel under tow approaching Royal Quays Marina with a request to assist with berthing and provide safety cover if required.![]()
The Brigade attended Royal Quays, however the vessel no longer required assistance with berthing and continued under its own power. The Brigade was subsequently stood down.![]()
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Number of Brigade members in attendance: Four![]()
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110/26 – Sunday 2nd August – 22.46h – HM Coastguard tasked the Brigade & Cullercoats RNLI to support a Police incident at King Edward’s Bay.![]()
As team members arrived on scene, the Police confirmed that they had one person in their care with no further assistance required. ![]()
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Number of Brigade members in attendance: Nine
our history
The Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade (TVLB) is the oldest and one of only 3 remaining active Volunteer Life Brigades in the UK. The TVLB was formed following the tragic loss of 32 souls from the stricken ships of the S.S.Stanley and the schooner Friendship on 24th November 1864 at the Black Middens rocks at Tynemouth.