St Peter Port RNLI are awarded The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service

The prestigious award is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK and recognises ‘outstanding groups of volunteers whose level of initiative and impact are truly exceptional.’

Established in 2002 as part of the UK honours system to recognise the work of grassroots organisations at a local level, the award acknowledges the work of the whole station from the committee members and fundraisers to the crew on the boat.

St Peter Port Lifeboat Station is one of 241 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year, showing that the voluntary sector is thriving and full of innovative ideas to make life better for those around them.

Jim Le Pelley, Chairman of the Lifeboat Management Group at St Peter Port said,

“This is a great honour for the St Peter Port Lifeboat Station which recognises that the whole station is run by volunteers. All the operational crew of the lifeboat have shown exceptional extra dedication throughout the period of the pandemic. But the award recognises not just their service but that of all the volunteers of the station including committee members, fundraisers and supporters, past and present, who have all contributed to saving lives at sea.”

Chris Harvey, Lifeboat Operations Manager at St Peter Port said,

‘We are honoured and delighted to receive The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service which recognises the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in the station here at St Peter Port. It’s been a busy two years for the station. Alongside our All-weather Lifeboat, we are currently trialling the use of an Inshore Lifeboat for incidents closer to the cliffs and shore.

This has meant the crew completing a significant amount of additional training to operate the new lifeboat, in a year where we experienced the highest ever number of call outs. The station has shown an exceptional response to the situation and two of our crew Jason Norman and Danny Blake undertook additional training to qualify as trainer-assessors themselves to speed up the process of getting the lifeboat on station.’

Mark Dowie, Chief Executive of the RNLI congratulated St Peter Port:

It is always pleasing to hear our volunteers have been recognised nationally, but it is extra special after such a challenging 15 months when they have demonstrated their commitment and resilience in maintaining our 24/7search and rescue service throughout the pandemic. For island communities like Guernsey, Herm and Sark, the lifeboat often provides a lifeline when times are tough, and I am delighted the whole local team has been acknowledged for their significant contribution. Congratulations to you all and thank you for everything you do to help save lives at sea,”

Established in 1803, St Peter Port lifeboat station has responded to over 1,500 shouts. As well as serving the Guernsey community, St Peter Port lifeboat station assists in providing a medevac service for the smaller islands of Herm and Sark. Each volunteer will also receive a special badge in recognition of the way they dealt with the challenges resulting from the pandemic in ensuring that the lifeboats remained on service during lockdown and that island patients could be safely transported.

Note to editor

· Please find attached images of St Peter Port RNLI All-weather Lifeboat and Inshore Lifeboat, credit: Tony Rive

· To support the RNLI’s lifesavers, go to: www.rnli.org/donate

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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.

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