Wells Lifeboat  RNLI Lifeboats Wells Norfolk UK
Wells Lifeboat

Safety Advice

Wells Beach Safety leaflet

The sands to the west of Wells harbour entrance now quickly get cut off by the incoming tide.

People walking on the sands right by the water's edge to the west of Wells harbour entrance at low water can easily be cut off when the tide starts to come in. This particularly effects people walking along the foreshore from Holkham beach or those walking right out across the sand down the side of the harbour channel from Wells beach.

Make sure you come back to the main beach when the siren sounds, the water starts to flow into the harbour or four hours before the time of the next high water! See our Sea Saftey Advice page for more information and tide times.

3D Tour

3D virtual tour of the new Wells Lifeboat Station

Explore the new boathouse and Shannon lifeboat

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Launch A Memory Wells
 

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Welcome to RNLI Wells

The RNLI Lifeboat Station in Wells-next-the-Sea houses an all-weather lifeboat and an inshore lifeboat to save lives and assist with emergencies around Wells and off the North Norfolk coast. Manned by volunteer crews, the boats are ready to launch within minutes, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. This website will tell you more about the station and give you a taste of what we do and the traditions of the lifeboat service.

Shop Opening Times

Our new shop, visitor information centre and public viewing gallery are open Fridays-Mondays from 10-4 plus some additional weekdays... see below for latest info.

The shop is open!

Shop and viewing gallery open 10-4 Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Mondays.

Safety Warning!

A new sandbar means people walking by the water's edge to the west of Wells harbour entrance at low water can easily be cut off when the tide starts to come in. This particularly effects people walking along the foreshore from Holkham beach or those walking right out across the sand down the side of the harbour channel from Wells beach. Make sure you come back to the main beach when the siren sounds, the water starts to flow into the channel or four hours before the time of the next high water! See our Sea Saftey Advice page for more information and tide times.

Recent Services

22 August 2023
20:03

The inshore lifeboat was at sea on an evening training exercise following a low water launch in Holkam Bay when it was observed that there were two persons and a dog cut off by the flood tide on the foreshore to the west of Wells harbour entrance in fading light. Humber Coastguard asked the ILB to divert to the incident and the boat picked up the casualties and ferried them to the beach, temporarily leaving one crewman cut off on the sandbank to make room to safely transport the large and mildy distressed dog. The persons required no further assistance and were happy to walk back from the beach to their car. The ILB then completed its exercise and went ashore at 20:35.

Weather Cloudy Visibility Good Wind SW2 Sea Smooth

20 August 2023
18:52

The inshore lifeboat was paged to a person cut off to the west of Wells harbour entrance. As the lifeboat was leaving the boathouse, the coastguard cancelled the launch as the person had reported they had made their own way ashore. However, two further persons and a dog were clearly visible from the boathouse cut off on the outer sandbank near the harbour entrance so the lifeboat continued to launch, arriving on sceen at 18:58 and monitoring the situation as these two also opted to wade to safety. The ILB then conducted a sweep of the shoreline to the west and east where they identified a further person now cut off on Bob Hall sands. This person explained their intention to swim across the channel on the incoming tide nearer the main beach and did not require assistance. After a further check, the ILB went ashore at 19:40 and was rehoused by 20:00.

Weather Part cloudy Visibility Good Wind W1 Sea Slight

20 August 2023
14:53

The station was contacted by the coastguard to assist in the medical evacuation of two children who had got into difficulties while swimming in the harbour channel at low water. RNLI beach lifeguards were with the children on the west side beach adjacent to the harbour channel and had requested urgent medical assistance. The crew were paged but it was clear there was too little water for the lifeboat to be useful so the Softrak launch and recovery vehicle was deployed along with crew with medical experience. The Softrak left the boathouse at 15:03 and arrived on scene at 15:15. The lifeboat crew assisted a paramedic, who had also arrived, and shortly after local coastguards, police, air ambulance and ambulances also arrived. The air ambulance landed on the beach to the east of the boathouse while the Softrak brought the two children to the boathouse at 15:40 where further medical support was provided. At 16:15 and 16:20, the two children were taken to hospital for further assessment by road ambulance. The Softrak was rehoused at 17:00. We understand both children have since made a recovery.

Weather Part cloudy Visibility Good Wind SW3 Sea Slight

19 August 2023
18:42

The inshore lifeboat was launched to four persons and two dogs cut off on the sandbank to the west of Wells harbour entance, an area that has been causing repeated problems for visitors to Wells beach. The lifeboat launched from the boathouse at 18:50 and quickly ferried the party onto the main beach near the beach huts. A second group of two persons were also visible cut off on the sandbank to the east of the first but had begun wading to shore and had reached safety by the time the ILB was passing seaward of them. The ILB conducted a sweep of the shoreline to the west and east to ensure no further persons were cut off before coming ashore at 19:15 and being refuelled, rehoused and ready again for service by 19:45.

Weather Part cloudy Visibility Good Wind SW3 Sea Slight

15 August 2023
16:19

The inshore lifeboat was paged to conduct a search at Scolt Head Island on the incoming tide for three children who had been reported missing. The ILB launched from the boathouse at 16:30 and arrived at the entrance to Burnham Overy harbour at 16:48, placing two crew members onto the island to start searching. The ILB then proceeded into the creeks to carry out a waterborne search. Local Coastguard officers had also arrived on-scene and at 17:04 found the missing children safe and well. With this, the inshore lifeboat was stood down and picked up its two crew members and returned to Wells. The ILB was ashore at 17:40 and refuelled, rehoused and ready again for service at 18:00.

Weather Cloudy Visibility Good Wind NW3 Sea Slight

15 August 2023
16:19

The inshore lifeboat was paged to conduct a search at Scolt Head Island on the incoming tide for three children who had been reported missing. The ILB launched from the boathouse at 16:30 and arrived at the entrance to Burnham Overy harbour at 16:48, placing two crew members onto the island to start searching. The ILB then proceeded into the creeks to carry out a waterborne search. Local Coastguard officers had also arrived on-scene and at 17:04 found the missing children safe and well. With this, the inshore lifeboat was stood down and picked up its two crew members and returned to Wells. The ILB was ashore at 17:40 and refuelled, rehoused and ready again for service at 18:00.

Weather Cloudy Visibility Good Wind NW3 Sea Slight

13 August 2023
02:18

The all-weather lifeboat was paged in the early hours to assist a single-handed 32' yacht Josephine of Hoo that had got into difficulty sailing south in a fresh breeze and choppy moderate conditions. Earlier in the night, the yacht had called the coastguard for help and Skegness lifeboat had launched, located the vessel and had started to escort her towards Wells. The plan was for Wells to take over from Skegness and bring the yacht into Wells harbour on the next tide. Wells lifeboat launched from the boathouse at 02:49 and proceeded approximately 11 miles north, meeting the yacht and Skegness lifeboat at 03:24 by which time Skegness had placed a crew member onto the yacht and attached a tow. By 03:57, Wells had placed two of its own crew onto the yacht and the tow was taken over with Skegness departing to return to station. Once safely in the harbour channel at Wells, the tow was disconnected and the two crew on-board assisted the skipper to moor the yacht in the outer harbour at 05:24. The lifeboat went ashore at 05:35 and was washed down, rehoused and refuelled by 07:15.

Weather Cloudy Visibility Good Wind SW5 Sea Moderate

Shannon class lifeboat launches on service, 7/8/23

Shannon class lifeboat launches on service to the cruiser 'May Belle', 7/8/23

7 August 2023
21:05

Wells Lifeboat was paged by Humber Coastguard following a 999 call from a 60' steel cruiser May Belle which had grounded on the bar at Wells harbour entrance. The all-weather lifeboat launched from the boathouse early on the flood at 21:30 and arrived on-scene at 21:48. It was found that the vessel was now afloat and under way but with some of its electrical systems, including navigation and deck lighting, inoperable and its two crew, one of whom was unwell, unsure of possible other damage. At 22.25 two crew from the lifeboat were put aboard to assess the situation. It was decided to wait a further 30 minutes for sufficient tide to rise within the harbour and for the two crew to assist in taking the vessel under her own power into the harbour. At 22:50, the lifeboat started to lead the vessel into harbour. Three shore crew made their way from the boathouse to the quay to help and at 23:17, the vessel was safely tied up alongside another vessel in Wells quay. The ALB was recovered behind the boathouse at midnight and washed down and rehoused by 01:30.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind WNW4 Sea Slight

Latest News

RNLI-911 Challenge calls in at Wells

Fri 1 Sep 2023


Wells RNLI was delighted to once again welcome Belinda and James Richardson and their bright red Porsche 911, 'Splash' on a flying visit to the station today. The couple have been fund-raising for the RNLI each year with various annual challenges in their Porsche 911 and intend to continue until next year's RNLI bicentenary celebrations when they hope to have raised sufficient funds to pay for a new D-class inshore lifeboat.

This year, the couple are driving the 911 3500 miles around the whole of England, including Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Isle of White, Isle of Man and the Isle of Scilly visiting all 116 lifeboat stations.

Belinda explained ‘Although we are not connected to the RNLI we are humbled by this unique organisation's 6,500 volunteers; be it the boat crews, land crew, lifeguards or fundraisers and wish to put our new found freedom to good use in supporting their gallant efforts by raising funds for a 'D' Class Lifeboat.’

Today, James and Belinda met up with Coxswain Nicky King, Mechanic Martin Emerson and several of the station’s volunteer crew. Matthew Lockwood of Porsche Centre Norwich, who have sponsored six station visits, also attended and presented the station with a plaque.

911 challenge first visited the station in 2018 when the objective was to drive to all 238 lifeboat stations in 911 hours. We thank them for their continued support and wish them luck on the road...

  Follow and support the 911's journey here...

62nd Annual Lifeboat Service

Wed 16 Aug 2023

Crew and lifeboat alongside for our annual lifeboat service at the quay

Crew and lifeboat alongside for our annual lifeboat service at the quay


Our thanks to all who joined us on the quay on Sunday 13th August for our 62nd Annual Lifeboat Service, the first conducted from our new Shannon-class lifeboat RNLB 13-46 Duke of Edinburgh. Your support and donations are always appreciated but particularly at the end of a very long day for our volunteers which started just after 2am when the lifeboat was launched to assist a yacht into Wells harbour.

New 3D walkthrough tour of Wells lifeboat station

Mon 20 Mar 2023

New 3D tour of the station... click link below to start!

New 3D tour of the station... click link below to start!
CT


Local photographer (and Sheringham lifeboat volunteer crew member) Chris Taylor has created an on-line 3D walkthrough tour of our new boathouse and our Shannon class all-weather lifeboat 'Duke of Edinburgh'. You can look round the building and even go on-board the Shannon from the comfort of your own screen and mouse. To start the tour, click on the link below. To move around, tap on the overlaid white circles... it is also possible to zoom in and out and turn round from any location.

Our thanks to Chris for his expertise and effort in making the tour and for making it available to all.

  Wells Lifeboat Station - 3D walkthrough tour

See all news...

Shop Opening Times

Our new shop, visitor information centre and public viewing gallery are open weekends from Friday to Monday and some extra weekdays from 10-4. Over the summer in good weather, the main boathouse doors may also be open. See below for latest times or our visits page for more information.

The shop is open!

Shop and viewing gallery open 10-4 Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Mondays.

Lifeboat viewing day

Viewing Day

Sunday 24 September 2023

Our Shannon-class all-weather lifeboat 13-46 Duke of Edinburgh will be on display outside in front of the boathouse from 10am-4pm on Sunday 24 September (unless, of course, she is required to launch for an emergency). There will be public access to walk around the boat and look at the 'Launch A Memory' names on the bow. The shop and visitor centre will be open and volunteers on-hand to chat about the work we do.

New Shannon lifeboat
and boathouse build

New boathouse build
Latest update 28/11/2022

We've moved in... Wells RNLI is now operating from the new building. See the boathouse build pages for the latest information and the story of how the new station was built.

The new Shannon lifeboat was funded in part with a station appeal for £250,000 in 2014-15 and also by the Civil Service charity The Lifeboat Fund with its 150th Anniversary Appeal. We are hugely grateful to everyone who has donated, fund-raised, helped and supported us both locally and across the UK and further afield.

COVID-19

We're keen to protect our crew to ensure the lifeboats can be manned when needed. Please don't visit the station or shop if you or someone you have recently been in close contact with has Covid symptoms or a postive test.

Exercise Launches

You are welcome to watch the lifeboats launch on exercise from a safe distance on the beach bank or beach; please keep clear of the boats and launching vehicles and keep children and dogs under supervision. Exercises are roughly every two weeks and we try to post dates and times in advance when we can. All dates are subject to change or cancellation at short notice for operational reasons.

Thursday 28 Sep 2023 18:00
Regular exercise

Launch A Memory Wells
 

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The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity, registered in England and Wales (209603) and Scotland (SC037736). This website is managed and maintained by local volunteers at Wells-next-the-Sea Lifeboat Station and is not the main RNLI site. All text and images copyright (C)2005-2021 RNLI Wells Lifeboat Station, or as indicated, and may not be downloaded, copied or reproduced elsewhere without prior permission of the station or the relevant copyright holder. Site Manager