Cowes and Freshwater lifeboat crews have celebrated the distribution of King’s Coronation medals.

The medals are awarded to any operational volunteer who had completed five years of service with the team on the date of the Coronation, May 6, 2023.

In Cowes, to commemorate the RNLI’s 200th anniversary, a letter was read out from the organisations’s chief executive, delivered by Andrew Cooper, local resident and former RNLI Council member. The new intake of shore crew was also welcomed and presented with their 200 badges.

Lord-Lieutenant Susie Sheldon, who is also the president of the Isle of Wight RNLI Board, chatted to the crew and presented all the awards.

The night came to an end with copious amounts of pizza and cake, deemed essential to the successful running of any lifeboat station!

In the West Wight the Freshwater Independent Lifeboat (FILB) ‘team’ turned out in force to celebrate the presentation of the medals which have been awarded to eight crew members.

Eight medals were presented, by FILB committee member Jill Kennett to Coxswain Tony Moore, Martin Cohen, Josh McGregor, Kai Hall, Ronan McCann, Dave Kempster, Martin Gould and Rob McLaren.