Douglas lifeboat station awarded Freedom of the City
Awarding the Freedom of the City to the Douglas RNLI station acknowledged "200 years of courage and commitment" by crews past and present, the mayor has said.Douglas Council conferred the accolade on the branch at a ceremony at City Hall recognising the lifeboat volunteers' dedication to the lifesaving service.Natalie Byron-Teare said the honour paid tribute to an "unwavering dedication" to the community and reflected the appreciation felt for the "first class contribution" made.Founded by Sir William Hillary after he witnessed several shipwrecks off the Manx coast while living in Douglas, the organisation celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2024.
The award is given to those considered to have made an outstanding contribution or service to the City of Douglas and the Isle of Man.Previous recipients include UK Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, comedian Sir Norman Wisdom, pop group the Bee Gees, and cyclist Sir Mark Cavendish.
Byron-Teare said the efforts of the crews illustrated "the power of volunteering, which in this case quite literally saves lives".During the proceedings, she acknowledged all volunteers from rescuers "who brave all conditions" to those who sell merchandise and shake buckets."You carry out this work not for personal gain, but for the benefit and protection of others", which meant the honour was "richly deserved", the Mayor said."We salute all past and present RNLI volunteers for their efforts."
Speaking after the service, RNLI chief executive Peter Sparkes said the station's efforts over the centuries had been "deservedly recognised".He said the distinction acknowledged the "selflessness and kindness of crews going out to rescue people they have never met, responding to Sir William Hillary's plea of 200 years ago".Lifeboat operations manager for the Douglas station Peter Washington said when things got "tough" the volunteers would be able look at the certificate and be reminded of the "respect shown to the branch by the city".It was an "massive thank you" that mean "so much to the crew", he added.Since the RNLI was founded, its crews across the British Isles have saved the lives of over 146,000 people.
Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
6 hours ago
- ITV News
Find out why sailors have been taking to the streets of Wrexham in celebration
The HMS Dragon is based in Portsmouth but today, hundred of its sailors marched through Wrexham, to celebrate it being awarded the 'Freedom of the City.'
Leader Live
9 hours ago
- Leader Live
WATCH: HMS Dragon crew members parade through Wrexham
The crew of the Type 45 destroyer marched through the heart of the city centre before being hosted at an official reception to cement the bond. The ship was adopted by Wrexham last summer and civic leaders promptly bestowed their highest honour upon the Portsmouth-based warship and her ship's company. (Image: Newsquest) Their hectic schedule – which included a milestone first takedown of a supersonic missile by the Royal Navy during NATO exercises off the coast of northwest Scotland in May – has prevented the ship's company from exercising their right until now, although some sailors were able to take part in Wrexham's Remembrance events. Since then, when Dragon's demanding programme has allowed, the 200-strong ship's company had been preparing for the hometown visit, including undertaking specific drill training to reach the highest standards required for the march. 'Today is a proud moment for HMS Dragon and a fitting opportunity to demonstrate the professionalism of our sailors, marching in full ceremonial dress, with drums beating, flags flying and bayonets fixed, as a mark of respect and gratitude to the people of Wrexham." (Image: Newsquest) Gresford councillor Jeremy Kent said: "Today, we were incredibly proud to welcome 156 members of HMS Dragon's ship's company to Wrexham as they exercised their Freedom of the City and County Borough — an honour that reflects the deep and lasting bond between the Royal Navy and our community. "With bayonets fixed, drums beating, and colours flying, the parade through our city centre was a stirring sight and a powerful reminder of the dedication and service of our armed forces. (Image: Newsquest) MORE NEWS: "As a member of Wrexham County Borough Council, I was honoured to stand alongside residents, veterans, and fellow councillors to show our gratitude and respect." He added: "Thank you to HMS Dragon for your service — and for bringing such pride to Wrexham today." In being named Freemen of Wrexham, the sailors are in select company, including Hollywood superstars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
BBC News
20 hours ago
- BBC News
Devon boat builder to restore Dunkirk lifeboat
A boat builder from Devon is set to restore a vessel which helped evacuate thousands of soldiers from 26 May to 4 June 1940, hundreds of vessels sailed through heavy enemy fire to rescue more than 338,000 British and Allied troops from the beaches of Dunkirk as part of Operation builder Abbey Molyneux, originally from Exeter, said the Guide of Dunkirk lifeboat, which has spent 40 years in Mevagissey, in Cornwall, would be transported to her boatyard in Norfolk for the restoration."She saved thousands of lives on the run to Dunkirk and we're now going to try and restore her," she said. Ms Molyneux told BBC Radio Devon the Guide of Dunkirk was built in the 1940s and was in "perfect condition".According to the RNLI, 700 civilian vessels, now known as the Little Ships of Dunkirk, made the crossing along with 19 RNLI lifeboats."They used all sorts of different boats and the Guide of Dunkirk was very popular, as were a lot of lifeboats because they've got a very shallow draft," Ms Molyneux said."They saved thousands and thousands of lives because they were the boats that could get closest to the shore to rescue the soldiers." She added: "These little lifeboats were a key part of the whole evacuation."Ms Molyneux, who has restored up to 30 Dunkirk little ships, said she hoped to restore the vessel back to its original condition and take it back to Dunkirk in the Guide of Dunkirk will arrive in Norfolk on Friday.
