The Coastguard Association is the charity dedicated to supporting Coastguard personnel and their families in their time of need. Founded in 1976 and with full charitable status, the Coastguard Association, often referred to as the CGA, has the full support of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency and covers the entire United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.

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The CGA has one primary aim – to help any serving or retired Coastguard personnel and their families in genuine times of hardship, poverty or distress. Each claim is treated on its merit in a prompt, confidential and sympathetic manner and the CGA prides itself on being able to turnaround requests for help within only a few days.

The CGA is run and operated entirely by volunteers, with five trustees, committee, and small management team, all of whom give their time and expertise for free with most of the committee being either serving or retired Coastguard Rescue Officers.

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The CGA does not receive any Government or business grants and depends entirely on voluntary donations, fundraising activities and membership subscriptions.

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Given the sensitive nature of the work of the CGA, it’s often not possible or appropriate to share specific details of the help which has been provided, however some general examples include:

• A Coastguard Rescue Officer tragically passed away having been involved in an accident off duty. His widow with two young children did not have the financial ability to pay for his funeral. One phone call to the Coastguard Association and a grant was provided to cover the basic costs. 

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• Assisting a young family with the costs of car parking and fuel costs when a family member had an extended hospital stay.

• Funding monitoring equipment for a teenager with additional support needs whose father is a Coastguard Rescue Officer.

• Providing financial assistance after surgery.

While the majority of the support provided is financial, the operating committee are working on a number of additional member benefits which align to supporting health and wellbeing.

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The Coastguard Association publishes its own digital magazine, Coastline, to showcase the lifesaving and life changing work of HM Coastguard, while also shining a light on the incredible fundraising efforts taking place, offering an insight into the assistance the charity provides and a range of regular features to support Coastguard personnel.

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You can find out more about the Coastguard including signing up to become a member, read all editions of Coastline Magazine and donate online at www.coastguardassociation.org.uk