NCI watchkeeper Val Turner was recently handed her 25-year award service award. Handing over the award, Acting Station Manager, Alan Kerr said: “Val was the last remaining Founder Member at Prawle and that she had joined NCI just a few weeks after Tony Blair had moved into number 10.”

“She had also survived five Prime Ministers.”

“It was about the time of her 60th birthday, in 1997, that she enquired about the opening up of the Prawle station having read about it in the Gazette and she was welcomed with open arms, taking on the role of secretary from the start.”

Val Said: “We were very fortunate in being the first Devon station.

“There was no competition for volunteers – we had a wealth of talent and skills available through local people who knew the area, the coast and the water well.

“Being such a desirable area also attracted able retirees from all sorts of backgrounds.

“This was valuable in restoring the lookout to a usable state and in training ourselves in the skills we were going to need.

“We had no money. Those who could put in £10 to provide a starter kitty of about £300.

“It was used with amazing ingenuity and elasticity. “Subsequently money began to come in from interested local organisations.

“The watchroom was kitted out with a telescope and a pair of binoculars and a very second hand radar.

“Our volunteer, architect Alan Shearer made the first console, the pelorus which we still use today and the main part of the telescope stands.

“Somehow by March 1998 we were up and running on the shift pattern we still use, and in April came the official opening. Uniform, of a sort, appeared.

“I am still wearing mine. Val added.

“Some of our members moved on to the growing national organisation.

“The peak of that came later when our much admired Jon Gifford became National Chairman and during his tenure just about doubled the number of NCI stations nationwide.”

Val recalled the building of the extension in a storm saying:

“We had the excitement of keeping watch in a lashed down wooden hut while the extension was built.

“The telescope (only room for one) sat on its stand on a sheet of foam plastic to damp down movement and ever then was blurry in winds of Force four and above.

“I doubt whether we noticed if it was blurry or not when we had a Force 12.

“Too busy praying for survival!

“I have survived six Station Managers, all remarkably pleasant and tolerant, and they appear to have survived me, though I notice that they have left Prawle. I haven’t.”

“Many visitors have commented that we must have the best volunteering job in the world. I wouldn’t disagree. I am immensely proud to be a member of the Prawle Point NCI team”.

The occasion was celebrated with a slice of cake, but no champagne this time as Val was on watch duty!