My Passion with Tom Bottomley: Community battles to keep the rescue boat afloat

I spent my childhood messing around on boats in Runswick Bay, a small fishing village six miles north of Whitby, where my grandfather bought a cottage for us all to get together in the holidays.

It's where I've always come back to, from school, university and work – it's a great escape as you still can't get mobile phone reception there, and it's a very sociable place where I've met many of my closest friends.

In 1979, when I was still a boy, the village RNLI lifeboat station was closed. Although the bay was covered by lifeboat crews in neighbouring Staithes and Whitby, villagers found themselves launching their own vessels to help people who had got into difficulty around the bay, because they knew they could reach them quicker.

The community decided to set up the Runswick Bay Rescue Boat, an independent charity which runs a boat and fully kitted crew made up of volunteers, some of whom live locally and others who visit regularly.

Until 2007, I had supported the rescue boat in more peripheral ways. But at that point, three years ago, two things converged to get me more involved in the cause. I got married and bought my own cottage in the village.

I suppose you could say I settled down, and now spend nearly every weekend there with my wife and young son.

The other was that the rescue boat was in desperate need of new crew and committee – those who had worked so hard for so many years now wanting to hand over the baton.

Firstly, I joined the crew, and then I attended a crisis meeting when it looked like the boat might fold, and soon after found myself chairman of the charity.

Since then, we've been working really hard to carry on the good work that's been going on for three decades.

Working in a team, on something that is such a huge part of the life of the village, is very different to setting yourself targets as an individual. As a committee, we meet monthly and it is a second job for me. As a helmsman on the boat, I train along with 20 other volunteer crew and it's very different to my weekday life in Leeds.

We're always in need of funds, as we raise all our money locally, so this month I'm doing a sponsored seven-mile open-water sea swim from Runswick Bay to Whitby – see www.just giving.com/runswicktowhitby.

For more information about Runswick Bay Rescue Boat, visit www.runswickrescue. org.uk