International award recognises the heroism of RNLI's Channel lifesavers

THE RNLI lifeboat stations at Dover, Dungeness, Ramsgate, and Walmer have been jointly recognised with the Search and Rescue Mission of the Year award at the first ever Global Search & Rescue Excellence Awards, celebrating the dedication and bravery of the volunteer crews who respond to incidents in the English Channel.

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Presented at a ceremony on May 16 by the Institute of Search and Technical Rescue, the award highlights the skill, courage, and commitment required to carry out often complex and distressing rescues in one of the world’s busiest and most challenging maritime environments.

The RNLI teams were selected ahead of other finalists from the UK, Turkey, Germany and the United Arab Emirates.

RNLI area operations manager Jason Carroll said: “I am incredibly proud of our crews, who continue to respond selflessly to their pagers, day or night, simply to help others.