The 11 volunteer rescue officers that make up Barry Coastguard are on-call 24/7 to respond to any maritime incidents in our town, such as cliff rescues and coastal searches.

Last year the team received a record number of calls, while Coronavirus restrictions created more challenges.

Nub News spoke to Barry's station manager Chris Fletcher to find out how they've adapted training and rescues during the pandemic.

"Because of social distancing, we can't do any indoor training, which obviously come the winter poses a bit more of a challenge," said Chris.

"So, it's really been adapting and learning different ways to try and be the professional on-call response service we are but within the new COVID guidelines.

"We're spacing out to be two metres apart when we do rope training and we wear masks.

"We tend to wear our full weather gear all the time now because it can be washed down and disinfected a lot easier.

"We have to be safe and the people we're responding to have to be safe too," he said.

Barry Coastguard volunteers train every Tuesday night, practising a range of skills and different scenarios.

"We're all highly trained, and we make sure we keep our skill level up by practicing," said Chris.

"Barry Coastguard is a specialist rope rescue team: we can rescue anybody in danger or a domestic animal.

"We then have specialist water training, so that we can go out and grab somebody in the water.

"So obviously, this time of year is dark, it's windy, it's wet. We're honing in on skills we're already signed off and qualified to do.

"But as you can imagine, a search for a missing person is different every time we go out, so there'll be a different scenario.

"There'll be a different thought process into the sort of category of the person we're looking for.

"The trick to that person, knowing a little bit of history, we try to gather if there's any mental health issues there, whether there are substances involved, whether it's alcohol, or drugs, or whether there's any past information that gives us that information to how we would take on that search.

"So that's why we train every week, I will do a different scenario every time based on probably what we've done in the past."

Chris is a self-employed plumber and has volunteered for eight years.

"Even if it's blowing a gale and pouring down with rain, we're still on call," he said.

"As a group of volunteers who give our time to help others, we're on call 24-7. It could be 2am, and we get the call, so we're jumping out of bed ready to go in.

"I absolutely love it. I enjoy giving my time back to help others. It's good, because there's always a different challenge in front of you,

"If you love anything outdoors, it's a thoroughly enjoyable thing and it'll give you that feeling of giving back to the community."

Barry Coastguard received a record 124 calls last year, which Chris said could be down to more people heading outside on walks to take a break from being stuck inside.

"It's all about education. Before Coronavirus we were able to go into schools, Scout groups, and just give a little bit of an insight," said Chris.

"When you start talking to somebody about walking across certain areas or maybe going out in the water to go for a little walk, they don't fully understand and realize the dangers behind it.

"A lot more people are out walking and enjoying the local spaces, but we just ask people to stop and think before they step into an area or go somewhere that they they're unsure of.

"Quite quickly, as the lady we rescued from the mud at the Old Harbour found out, you're well over your knees in mud, stuck in a frantic situation.

"A lot of people don't realize that can happen, and many don't realise you can dial 999 and ask for the coastguard" he said.

Recruitment to join Barry Coastguard is currently open. Anyone interested in joining should send an email to [email protected].

Applicants must be over 18, fit and healthy, and hold and a full UK driver's licence.