RNLI awarded Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Volunteering Award

The announcement from the Cabinet Office has given the charity which has nine lifeboat stations and 10 lifeguarded beaches in Northern Ireland, the opportunity to thank all its volunteers for all their hard work and dedication to help save lives at sea. The charity, which relies on volunteers to carry out its lifesaving work and who form 95% of its workforce, is one of just 60 organisations to receive this one-off award. The category that was added to the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in order to mark the Diamond Jubilee and Olympic year.

During this year Anthony Chambers, the mechanic at Portrush lifeboat station was the only RNLI representative from Northern Ireland who had the honour of carrying the Olympic flame as the prestigious torch relay made its way across the region.

Speaking following the announcement Anthony said RNLI volunteers across the north would be delighted that their commitment to saving lives at sea had been acknowledged in this way: “RNLI volunteers come from all walks of life within their communities and will readily exchange leisure, comfort and sleep for cold, wet and fatigue to help those who may find themselves in difficulty so it is a great honour to be recognised for what we do.”