VIEWERS tuning into their TV this evening may see some familiar surroundings after a North East voluntary service will feature on a hit BBC show - highlighting the lifesaving work it does within its community and the wider region.
At 6.30pm on BBC2, broadcaster and former MP, Michael Portillo, will pay a visit to Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade as part of his Great Coastal Railway Journeys.
Within the episode, Michael will tour the Life Brigade Watch House and chat with some of its retired members, before joining the Rescue Team on a Rope Rescue training scenario.
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The television personality will also visit Tynemouth Seal Hospital to highlight the fantastic work that they do for the local sea life.
Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade are a coastal rescue team based on-shore, who respond to coastal emergencies predominately within the North Tyneside area.
Alongside their rescue potential, it also operates a grade two listed Watch House, located on the north side of the mouth of the River Tyne at Spanish Battery, Tynemouth - which is a free to visit museum.
The importance of the voluntary service was laid bare over the weekend when two members of the public were cut off by the tide at St Mary’s Island on Sunday (February 6).
Volunteers working for the Brigade spent three hours helping assist the pair, who were eventually able to cross the causeway back to their car.
In 2022, the Brigade has so far responded to 14 callouts.
Great Coastal Railway Journeys explores all the coasts of the British Isles, which allows Michael to embark on a rail adventure to various destinations in the UK.
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