Princess Anne opens rebuilt Mablethorpe Coastwatch station during Lincolnshire visit

The Princess Royal has officially opened Mablethorpe's rebuilt National Coastwatch station during a visit to Lincolnshire.

Princess Anne visited the station on Thursday, September 10 in her role as Royal Patron of the National Coastwatch Institution.

The Royal Household had listed the engagement as the official opening of the rebuilt Mablethorpe station on Quebec Road, with the visit subsequently recorded in the official Court Circular.

The station provides volunteer coastal surveillance from Mablethorpe's seafront, keeping watch over one of the busiest stretches of the Lincolnshire coast.

National Coastwatch volunteers monitor both the shoreline and radio channels, providing additional eyes and ears along the coast.

When watchkeepers identify somebody potentially in difficulty, information can be passed to HM Coastguard, which coordinates any necessary emergency response.

The organisation's Mablethorpe station first opened on North Beach in 2009.

National Coastwatch previously announced plans for the station to move into a permanent, purpose-built two-storey facility during 2026.

The rebuilt lookout is based at Sea View Car Park off Quebec Road in Mablethorpe.

National Coastwatch says Mablethorpe's volunteers currently provide daily watches from 9am until 5pm during British Summer Time, with the possibility of extended hours during periods of particularly high demand.

Princess Anne is Royal Patron of National Coastwatch and has previously visited volunteers on the Lincolnshire coast.

In October 2025, she visited both the Mablethorpe and Cleethorpes Coastwatch teams, meeting trained watchkeepers and representatives from organisations including HM Coastguard, the RNLI and Lincolnshire Police.

At the time, National Coastwatch said its network consisted of thousands of trained volunteers operating stations around the coastline of England and Wales.

The charity also operates stations elsewhere on the Lincolnshire coast, including Skegness and Chapel Point.

Thursday's Mablethorpe engagement formed part of a wider day of official duties for The Princess Royal.

The Court Circular also records a visit to the University of Lincoln's Riseholme Campus before she officially opened the rebuilt Coastwatch station.

The completed station gives Mablethorpe's Coastwatch volunteers a permanent base from which to continue their role supporting safety along the Lincolnshire coast.