Coastguards are the UK’s most disability-friendly employers and have been recognised as such by Remploy, a body that helps disabled people into work. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency won Remploy’s Leading the Way award for best practice in employing disabled people.

The judges said that disabled employees were represented throughout the agency’s management structure, including the executive board.

Roles range from surveyors and inspectors through to the staff who co-ordinate the 38 coastguard stations around the country. The agency has a dedicated diversity manager and policy adviser charged with making adjustments for disabled workers.

Alison Thorne-Henderson, the agency’s director of human resources, said: “We use a competency-based recruitment approach so we’re not tied down by people’s qualifications or previous work experience. There are things people can do outside the world of work that show they have the right transferable skills.”