Volunteers aged 16 and over are needed to help run the Coastwatch Beach Pavilion in Irvine. This is an interesting and worthwhile volunteering opportunity. No qualifications or experience required. Coastwatch is looking for volunteers aged 16 and over to help run the Beach Pavilion in Irvine. Your level of knowledge is immaterial. Our members have very different backgrounds and levels of knowledge, so whatever training you need to become a valued member of Coastwatch it will be geared to your experience (or lack of it). Instruction is available in any area of Coastwatch’s remit, be it watchkeeper or shopkeeper, or you might just want to volunteer to help run the charity. We have several retired volunteers who quite happily simply man the office for a few hours a week which helps keeps the Beach Pavilion open. If you are an electrician, plumber, roofer, painter or mechanic you can help us too. If you have promotional or artistic skills, are a web designer, have nursing skills, are a teacher or an accountant - we would love to hear from you. All your skills will be useful to us. Any training you wish to undertake will be geared to your own choices from the available courses which include first aid, using a radio or map reading. You might want to help with the running of the shop which is an important source of income to the charity. The choice is yours. After a settling in period, a training pack can be organised for you which will identify the skills you have, and those which you may wish to acquire. Not only will you learn how to approach new challenges in a competent and confident manner which are always useful when looking for paid employment, but other less obvious skills are always being learned through interaction with the public by using your first aid skills, patrolling the harbour or beach area, helping to organise events, or simply selling teas and coffees in our wee shop.

Become a “Watchkeeper”! Volunteers are guided through a training process, with instruction in radio procedures, navigation, map reading, first aid and a whole lot more besides. This is an interesting and worthwhile volunteering opportunity. You will work with our skilled and highly trained volunteers, through a very specialised training course with the result that you can become a Watchkeeper yourself with skills which are adaptable and flexible and could be used in full-time paid employment. A Training Pack will be organised for you which will identify the skills you learn and those which you still need to acquire. Not only will you learn how to approach new challenges in a competent and confident manner which are always useful when looking for paid employment, but other less obvious skills are always being learned through interaction with the public by using your first aid skills, patrolling the harbour or beach area, helping to organise events, or simply selling teas and coffees in our wee shop We hold various public events throughout the year, including our hugely successful annual Polar Plunge in January, and it is hoped that all our volunteers participate in the organising before and during these events. We work closely with HM Coastguard, the Police, the RNLI and are members of the Sea Safety Group. Beach and Harbour patrols are carried out regularly keeping watch on public safety and the general welfare of the environment. Wearing a Coastwatch uniform is not required until you are certain you wish to become a volunteer with us. All we ask of our volunteers is that you undertake to spend a minimum of 10 hours per month carrying out Coastwatch duties. An initial interview with our Station Manager would take place at the Beach Pavilion before a volunteering opportunity is offered.