VOLUNTEER crews from Porthcawl and Barry Dock RNLI recently welcomed actors Ruth Jones and Steve Spiers as part of filming for ‘Ruth and Steve: From Porthcawl with Love’, a new programme due out over Christmas that follows Ruth as she shows Steve around her hometown.
Ruth has a long-standing family connection with Porthcawl RNLI. She was joined on the day by her sister, Maria, a local GP who volunteers as medical advisor with the Porthcawl crew. The family links run deep: Maria’s husband, Etienne, volunteered as a crew member for 19 years; Ruth’s niece, Anousha, also volunteered as crew before going to university; and her brother, Julian, is the lead organiser of the RNLI Samtampa Memorial Run.
After a briefing in the boathouse and getting kitted up, the group spent time on Barry Dock’s Shannon class all-weather lifeboat while Porthcawl launched their Atlantic 85, giving them a clear picture of how the two stations train side by side.
Ruth, Steve and Maria joined in a short exercise centred around rescuing a person from the water, with volunteer crews demonstrating how they operate together during training and on shouts. Even with filming taking place, both lifeboats remained fully search and rescue capable throughout. With full crews aboard and both boats working close to shore, we were ready to respond immediately should the Coastguard have needed us.
There was plenty of laughter, conversation and more than a few selfies with Ruth and Steve taking time to chat with crew and members of the public throughout the afternoon.
Recently, volunteer crews from Porthcawl and Barry Dock were invited to a private preview screening of the programme, hosted by BBC Cymru Wales and ITV Cymru Wales. The screening was followed by a Q&A with Ruth and Steve, who shared behind-the-scenes stories from the filming and spoke warmly about the work of both stations.
Andrew Walmsley, Porthcawl’s Lifeboat Operations Manager said: “It was great to meet both Ruth and Steve, and we really appreciated them coming down to spend time with the crew. Visits like this give us a valuable chance to share key RNLI safety messages, especially at this time of year when the sea can be even more unpredictable than usual and incredibly cold.”
Look out for ‘Ruth and Steve: From Porthcawl with Love’ tonight on Monday, 15th December at 9pm, BBC1 and keep an eye out for your Barry Dock and Porthcawl crews in action alongside Ruth, Steve and Maria.
Don’t forget, if you find yourself or see someone else in difficulty, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard. As always, RNLI volunteer crews remain on call 24/7 throughout Christmas and the New Year, ready to respond whenever they are needed.
All photos taken by RNLI / Chris Page and Lisa Newberry.
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