Newhaven RNLI volunteers receive award for long service

The award was given to 13 volunteers, who have each served a minimum of five years, to recognise their work with the charity.

Jane King, high sheriff of East Sussex, presented the Platinum Jubilee medal to those who could be in attendance on Tuesday at the Newhaven RNLI lifeboat station in Newhaven Port.

The team ranges from 23 to 66, with some of the volunteers dedicating 40 years of their life to the charity.

Jane King and Nick Gentry who is navigator/crew

Jane King said: “On behalf of Her Majesty The Queen, the community of Newhaven, visitors to our county, those who work on the water and all who enjoy the Sussex coast, we thank you.

“It is an honour to present these commemorative medals and recognise the essential work of these volunteers.”

The high sheriff also acknowledged the support of family and friends who helped make “volunteering to this level possible”.

There was also a tour of the boat from Lewis Arnold, coxswain

The medal follows a long history of awarding medals to mark Royal Jubilee celebrations.

The Newhaven team are among 4,500 volunteers and frontline staff across the RNLI to receive the medal.

Nick Gentry, navigator mechanic, who has served 39 years at Newhaven RNLI, said: “It is a great honour to receive such a significant award and be recognised as part of the many generations of lifesavers who have built the legacy of this charity.”

From left, Lewis Arnold, James Johnson, Alvaro Rodriguez, Billy Hipperson, Gary Marsh, Lee Blacknell, Nick Gentry and John Prout on behalf of Henry Prout

Lee Blacknell, second coxswain, who has served 19 years at Newhaven RNLI, said: "This commemorative medal is testimony to the hard work, grit and determination of our crews.

"They drop everything and venture out in all weathers to help save lives at sea."

Two more awards were presented by the high sheriff, a 40 year Long Service Award for lifeboat operations manager, Roger Cohen, 66.

David and Elizabeth Acland near Newhaven

An Excellence in Volunteering Award was also given to Roz Ashton, Newhaven lifeboat’s press officer.

Roger Cohen MBE said: “The journey from trainee crew to lifeboat operations manager - volunteering at Brighton, Tower and Newhaven, continues to bring me enormous satisfaction, fulfilling my part in the one crew who together save lives at sea.”

A tour was also given of Newhaven’s all weather lifeboat called David and Elizabeth Acland.

All smiles as they pick up their awards

One of the crew’s most recent rescues was near the Seven Sisters cliffs when they were called to rescue a person from a yacht which had dragged anchor and got stuck on rocks near Birling Gap.

There were 13 RNLI crew in total who received the Platinum Award.

They are Lewis Arnold (coxswain mechanic), Lee Blacknell (second coxswain), Roger Cohen MBE (lifeboat operations manager), David Collins-Williams (deputy launch authority), Mark Ford (deputy launch authority), Nick Gentry (navigator/crew), Billy Hipperson (crew), James Johnson (navigator/crew), Gary Marsh (deputy launch authority), Francis Nicholls (lifeboat medical advisor), Henry Prout (crew), Alvaro Rodriguez (crew) and Peter Todd (mechanic/crew).