Thanks to Fred for sharing this news with On The Wight readers. Well done to all in the Coastguard Rescue Service, it’s a vital service and the recognition is well deserved. Ed
It has been announced by Her Majesty The Queen that the volunteer Coastguard Rescue Service which is part of Her Majesty’s Coastguard has been awarded The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Volunteering Award 2012.
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Volunteering Award 2012 is a special, one-off category of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, which was established in 2002 as part of the UK honours system and is considered to be the MBE for community voluntary groups.
Officers delighted to receive awards
Whilst the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service recognises the work of grassroots organisations at a local level, the Diamond Jubilee category seeks to recognise groups that operate nationwide.
All Coastguard Officers whether full time or volunteer are both delighted and honoured to receive this Award.
The Coastguard Rescue Service provides the UK’s coastal search and rescue capability including cliff, mud and shoreline rescue and, as part of Her Majesty’s Coastguard, it can operate separately or jointly with other emergency services and volunteer rescue organisations.
It consists of teams of volunteers (Coastguard Rescue Teams), drawn from the local community, which are fully trained and equipped to carry out a range of search and rescue operations around the coast of the UK.
3,500 volunteers in 365 Coastguard Rescue Teams
The Coastguard Rescue Service consists of 3,500 volunteers in 365 Coastguard Rescue Teams strategically located around the coast of the UK and play a vital role in helping the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, through Her Majesty’s Coastguard, achieve its vision of being a world-class organisation that is committed to preventing loss of life, improving maritime safety, and protecting the marine environment.
Coastguard Rescue Officers can be called out by the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) at any time of the day or night, in all weathers, to respond to and rescue those in trouble or missing or to participate in a multi-agency response to an emergency.
Peter Dymond, Chief Coastguard said: “I am delighted that the Coastguard Rescue Service has received this award which is a just reward and recognition for our volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers and their teams who have a long history of rescuing those in trouble from shipwreck or those stuck or missing on the cliffs and shoreline of the UK and not forgetting their service to their local communities and the wider public.”
Image: © Used with the kind permission of Julian Winslow
