Six Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) volunteers and staff have been recognised in The King’s Birthday Honours for their dedication and commitment to the lifesaving charity.
RNLI Chief Executive Peter Sparkes said: ‘I am always astounded by the dedication of our volunteers and staff and these six are testament to the commitment demonstrated by so many of our people. Over 70 years of selfless service is truly remarkable, and Les Coe is by no means alone in this achievement; so many of our volunteers give decades of their time to saving lives at sea. Whatever their role, they are all lifesavers and the RNLI couldn’t do what we do without them powering our frontline services with passion, talent and kindness. My heartfelt congratulations to these six Honours recipients, and as we enter our peak summer season, my thanks go to the thousands of volunteers who give their time so generously to the RNLI.’
Eric Taylor, Chair of the Penlee RNLI Fundraising Branch, has dedicated more than 43 years to the RNLI and has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM). The RNLI has been part of Eric’s family dating back to 1883, when his great-grandfather served as Coxswain on Padstow lifeboat, and his grandfather as signalman, before becoming coxswain. His mother was affectionately known as ‘Lifeboat Mary’ and introduced him to fundraising from a very young age. Due to having polio in his childhood years, Eric was unable to join the lifeboat crew, but he still had a passion for saving lives at sea and began fundraising for Penlee lifeboat in 1983. Eric became Deputy Chair of the Penlee Lifeboat Fundraising Branch in 2012 and Chair in 2014. Under his leadership, the branch has raised £495,000, including £200,000 towards the new Penlee Lifeboat Station, which opened in 2019.
Eric said: ‘The RNLI has always been in the family, and I remember being involved from a very young age following in my great-grandfather’s footsteps. ‘It was a bit of a shock to receive this award, as this is just something I do – I enjoy volunteering so much and love being part of it.’
Ian Stroud, Chair of Porthcawl RNLI Lifeboat Management Group, is to receive the BEM and has been a volunteer for more than 34 years. A stalwart of the lifesaving community in south Wales, Ian began his RNLI journey as a crew member at Porthcawl in 1986. He served until 1992 when he retired from the sea-going role but remained actively involved. For 25 years, Ian was Porthcawl’s Lifeboat Press Officer promoting real-life rescue stories to raise awareness of the role of the volunteer crew, supporting fundraising and sharing safety messages. Alongside this role, Ian was appointed Deputy Launch Authority and was responsible for authorising the launch of the station’s lifeboats, a role which he carried out for 20 years.
Ian said: ‘I’m delighted and honoured to receive such recognition, it’s not something I ever expected. I’ve held several RNLI roles during my time, but I’ve particularly enjoyed my role as Lifeboat Press Officer, promoting Porthcawl Lifeboat Station and our dedicated volunteers who are on-call 24/7 to save lives at sea.’
Former RNLI volunteer and staff member, Phill Corsi, has dedicated more than 44 years to the charity, across a variety of roles and has been made a Member of the British Empire (MBE). Phill joined Newhaven RNLI on his 17th birthday in 1981, progressing through the ranks to become Coxswain. He later joined the RNLI in a staff capacity in 2007, becoming a Trials Coxswain and subsequently Area Operations Manager for the south east in 2019. Phill retired from the RNLI in November 2025, leaving a remarkable legacy of service.
Phill said: ‘It’s very humbling to be put forward for such an honour. I’ve loved my time as both a volunteer and staff member at the RNLI and have many fond memories. One of the many rescues I’ll never forget was launching in the great storm of 1987 to assist a trawler safely back into Newhaven in awful and challenging conditions. I’ve worked alongside so many dedicated people and everyone shares the same passion to help save lives at sea.’
Leslie Coe has been involved with the RNLI for more than 70 years at Walmer Lifeboat Station and has been awarded the BEM for voluntary services to the charity. Joining as a 15-year-old shore crew member in 1955, Les served on the inshore lifeboat between 1964 and 1972, receiving the RNLI’s Thanks of the Institution on Vellum in 1970 for rescuing two people cut off by the tide. Since retiring from sea-going duties, he has held many other operational roles at the station from Lightman to Head Launcher and for the past two decades has held the role of Boathouse Manager. His contribution was recently recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Global Search and Rescue Awards.
Les said: ‘This is such a great honour to receive such an award. I have many fond memories from my years in the RNLI, across the wide range of roles I was fortunate to hold. I still remember testing the new inshore lifeboats back in 1963, and it’s incredible to see how far they’ve come since then. As a crew member, I was involved in a number of challenging rescues, including saving two people cut off by the tide, for which we received Vellums for bravery. I’ve loved every moment of being part of the RNLI, and it has been a privilege to serve.’
Andy Burden, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Cleethorpes has been awarded the BEM for services to Defence, Veterans and the RNLI. Andy has served with the RNLI for more than 13 years in a variety of sea-going operational roles before becoming Lifeboat Operations Manager. In addition to his RNLI role, Andy has more than 40 years continuous service in the Royal Air Force and the Ministry of Defence and is also a Yeoman of the Guard.
Andy said: ‘I am very proud and humbled to be appointed to the Order of the British Empire with the award of the British Empire Medal. Throughout my entire life both in military service and volunteering I have worked with, learned from and met some amazing people, each one has moulded me and made me who I am today. I feel a very deep bond to the local and wider community and try and assist and help in my small way in any way I can and will continue to do so.’
Jono Dodd, Helm at West Kirby, has dedicated nearly 40 years to the charity, holding a number of roles and has been made a Member of the British Empire (MBE). During his time with the RNLI, Jono has served at West Kirby on the inshore lifeboat, and also for a period, crew at Hoylake on both the inshore and all-weather lifeboats.
Jono said: ‘I’m deeply honoured and truly amazed to have received this incredible recognition for voluntary service. It’s a moment of immense pride, and the news still hasn’t’ sunk in.’
