NCI Froward Point – coastwatch station website, Dartmouth
Responsive website for NCI Froward Point, the National Coastwatch station at Froward Point near Dartmouth – live weather and shipping information, local search.
NCI Froward Point – ‘Eyes Along The Coast’ – is a volunteer-run coastwatch station with Declared Facility Status as part of the National Search and Rescue structure. Over 60 trained watchkeepers share daylight watches every day of the year, observing activity at sea and on the coast path that passes the station. The station needed a website that could explain its role, publish opening times and news, promote fundraising and volunteering, and – importantly – surface live weather and shipping information for mariners and visitors.
The team wanted a site that felt credible and on-brand for the National Coastwatch Institution, with clear navigation to Location, Live Weather & Shipping, Site History, News, Fundraising and Volunteer. They needed the live weather page to be easy to find and reliable on phones and desktops, so that sailors, walkers and the local community could check conditions and shipping at a glance.
The brief
NCI Froward Point required a website that could:
- Reflect the brand – Credible, volunteer-run and aligned with the National Coastwatch Institution, with a clear link to Declared Facility Status and the MCA.
- Surface live weather and shipping – A dedicated Live Weather (and Live Shipping) section so mariners and visitors can see current conditions and shipping information captured at the station.
- Support visit and contact – Station opening times (e.g. from 1 April: 9.00am to 17.00), VHF Channel 65 (‘Froward Point NCI’), location and contact details.
- Work on every device – Usable on phones, tablets and desktops for people checking weather or planning a visit.
- Support local search – Strong foundations for terms like NCI Froward Point, coastwatch Dartmouth, live weather Dartmouth and Froward Point weather, with clear structure and meta data.
- Promote news, fundraising and volunteering – Latest news, upcoming fundraising events, volunteer recruitment and donation options (e.g. SumUp, Virgin Money Giving).
The solution
We built a responsive site so NCI Froward Point can showcase the station’s role, publish opening times and news, and offer live weather and shipping information. The result works well for visitors searching for the coastwatch station, Dartmouth-area weather or Froward Point.
Design and user experience
- Clear navigation – Sticky header with Home, Location, Live Weather & Shipping (with Live Weather and Live Shipping sub-pages), Site History, News, Fundraising and Volunteer.
- Strong sense of purpose – Hero video and copy that explain the watchkeepers’ role: watching for emergencies at sea and on land, contact point for emergencies, manned by unpaid volunteers, dependent on donations. Station opening times and key info are easy to find.
- Readable, on-brand look – Typography and layout suited to a charity and coastwatch station, with clear sections for Latest News and Upcoming Fundraising Events.
Mobile-friendly
On phones and tablets the menu collapses to a burger; the live weather and key links remain accessible. Layout and content scale so the site stays usable whether someone is checking the weather from home or planning a visit to the station.
Live weather and shipping
- Live Weather page – Equipment at the Froward Point station captures live weather; the page embeds the weather display and a live webcam feed so mariners and visitors can see current conditions.
- Live Shipping – A dedicated sub-page for live shipping information, linked from the main Live Weather & Shipping menu.
- Prominent link from homepage – A clear ‘View Live Weather’ call-to-action in the footer so the feature is easy to discover.
Integrations
- Instagram – Latest From Instagram feed so the site stays visually up to date.
- Donations – Support Us / Donation links (SumUp, Virgin Money Giving) for fundraising.
Outcome
NCI Froward Point now has a fast, responsive website that reflects the station’s role and works well on phones, tablets and desktops. Mariners and visitors can find opening times, VHF details and – centrally – live weather and shipping information. The site is set up to perform well in local search so anyone looking for the coastwatch station, live weather near Dartmouth or Froward Point can find the information they need. News, fundraising and volunteering are clearly presented for the community and supporters.