Today the National Trust has handed over the keys of the new coastguard lookout station at St Agnes Head in Cornwall, to the National Coastwatch Institution.

The old coastguard station was found to be unsafe due to its construction from mundic block. It has been sensitively rebuilt by the National Trust with green energy in mind. Sheep’s wool has been used as insulation, rainwater is recycled for the toilets and in the next few months, solar panels will be installed along with a small wind turbine which will harness the wind. The lookout is also one of only a handful in the country to have access for people with disabilities.

Mike Pulley, Treasurer for the National Coastwatch Institution at St Agnes Head Lookout says: “We are very grateful to the National Trust for the wonderful new building which is going to play an incredibly important part in looking after people using the sea and coast in Cornwall. We have a great bunch of volunteers raring to go, but we are always on the hunt for more volunteers who are able to spare a few hours. The more volunteers we have the more often we’ll be able to man the station.”

Bill Makin, National Trust Area Warden for St Agnes said: “When we acquired St.Agnes Head in 2006 we made a commitment to work with the NCI to reopen this historic lookout. It is gratifying to know that local volunteers will now have an excellent purpose made facility to help them maintain this important watch. As a conservation charity, we really wanted the building to be carbon neutral in operation and it was also vital that it had access for disabled people – we are thrilled with the result.”

The National Coastwatch Institution is a voluntary organisation which assists in the protection and preservation of life at sea and around the UK coastline. The NCI was born following a tragedy off the Cornish coast when two fishermen lost their lives below a recently closed Coastguard lookout. Local people then decided to open and restore the visual watch.

Funding for the rebuilding of the lookout came from the National Trust, with additional funding for the solar panels and other equipment from the Cory Environmental Trust, the Norman Family Trust, the BBC and St Agnes Local Improvements Committee.