The dedicated team of volunteers at Ryde Inshore Rescue have received the Royal Life Saving Society Honorary Associate award in recognition of their significant contribution to the work of the society.
Ryde Inshore Rescue is an independent lifeboat station based at Appley. A band of volunteers from all walks of life are on call 365 days a year to rescue those in peril on the sea. Incidents vary from week to week but often the crews are called out to boats running aground on the infamous Ryde Sands and children getting swept out to sea.
Chairman Shaun Smith accepted the award on behalf of the team during a ceremony at Worcester Cathedral today (Saturday).
He said:
“It is a real privilege to receive this award in recognition of the continued support to the RLSS for which Ryde Inshore Rescue has done so since 1956 under its current banner.”
The organisation was originally formed as a beach voluntary lifeguard unit in 1956 following a double drowning fatality at the end of Ryde pier. Today, Ryde Inshore Rescue operates 2 lifeboats – a 6.3 metre RIB and a 5 metre inflatable. However, a new, much larger ‘Ryde Rescue 1’ is expected to arrive on the Isle of Wight later this year.
