In May we recognised our volunteers', supporters' and fundraisers' outstanding achievements at our Annual Presentation of Awards

HRH The Duke of Gloucester was the RNLI Guest of Honour at the Barbican, London, on 17 May, 30 years after his mother, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, presented Medals for Gallantry to lifeboat crew members. Since then, the RNLI has introduced awards for supporters, as well as lifesavers. One of the first to take the stage to accept a supporter award as the ceremony got underway was TV Presenter and Adventurer Ben Fogle.

As his interview in the Lifeboat (Spring 2011) revealed, Ben is a passionate RNLI supporter. So when the Discovery Channel was looking for a presenter to front their 2011 documentary Lifeboat Heroes, Ben was an obvious choice. He received a Supporter Award in the Media category.

Sadly, the winner of the Supporter Award in the Individual category could not make the ceremony – Kay Hurley was suffering from ill-health as the Lifeboat went to press and all at the RNLI wish her well. Kay has supported the RNLI for 10 years, funding two hovercraft and, most recently, the new E class lifeboat Hurley Burly, which was named in 2011.

Organisations, as well as individuals, were recognised for their support at the ceremony and the Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Trinity House.

Trinity House has supported the RNLI on and off the water for 188 years, recently funding trips for young lifeboat crew members with the Tall Ships Youth Trust and granting exclusive access to Southwold Lighthouse for sponsored abseils.

Another organisation thanked for decades of support was the Robertson Trust. Formed by sisters Elspeth, Agnes and Ethel Robertson 50 years ago, the trust is Scotland’s largest independent source of charitable funds. It has funded three lifeboats that have rescued hundreds of people.

Queen’s College in Taunton received the Youth Award for raising RNLI funds and awareness through a dramatic true story. The Somerset school is based near the site of the famous Lynmouth ‘overland launch’ of 1899. Through a play, music events and a sponsored walk inspired by the tale, the students raised £2,193 and promoted the RNLI.

At Bridlington, volunteers took their already-successful fundraising efforts inland in 2011. Souvenir Secretary Albert Wilby and his volunteers found a unit in the town’s main shopping area, made available by a local charitable trust. With help from Bridlington and Whitby lifeboat crews, the site was transformed into another Bridlington RNLI Shop, which raised a superb £40,000. In recognition, Albert accepted the Retail award on behalf of all the volunteers.

Training costs for 30 volunteer crew members based in East Anglia have been met thanks to SSE (formerly Scottish and Southern Energy). The company’s involvement in a wind farm project on the coast led to a £300,000 donation to the RNLI, which funds station and RNLI College training for the crew members. SSE was awarded the Supporter Award in the Corporate category.

It’s not often that an entire community can be said to support a charity – but that’s the case at Inishbofin, a small island off the west coast of Ireland. The residents’ long tradition of support has included organising raffles, events, dinner dances, collections and, in more recent times, maritime balls to raise much-needed funds. As a result, over €50,000 has been raised. Fundraisers from the island received the Community Supporter award.

Commitment and courage
The remarkable achievements and long-standing commitment of the RNLI’s fundraisers were celebrated in the next part of the ceremony, with Honorary Life Governor and Gold Badge awards presented. Honorary Life Governor awards were made to Jean McAdam from Crieff Branch, Florence Candlish from Salisbury Branch and Marie Trevithick from Redruth Guild.

The climax to the ceremony was the awards for gallantry, when crew members from three lifeboat stations accepted medals. St Abbs Lifeboat Operations Manager Alistair Crowe accepted the Bronze Medal for Gallantry on behalf of his nephew, Helmsman Darren Crowe. Darren swam into a cave in very dangerous conditions to rescue a fisherman (see the Lifeboat Autumn 2011). Exmouth Helmsman Roger Jackson also received a Bronze Medal for Gallantry after he skilfully and courageously brought an inshore lifeboat through heavy surf and close enough to a capsized RIB to save its crew. Finally, the Silver Medal for Gallantry was awarded to Dungeness Crew Member Garry Clark – see pages 16–19 for a full account of that rescue.