Women in SAR Scotland event hailed a huge success

RNLI stations at Eyemouth and Dunbar together with St Abbs independent lifeboat hosted the second Women in SAR (search and rescue) event of its kind in Scotland last weekend (19 and 20 September).

Jill Hepburn, Head of Region for RNLI Scotland, said: ‘The RNLI’s Women in SAR Scotland weekend has been a fantastic opportunity for women across the country to come together, share knowledge, build connections and grow stronger as a lifesaving community.

‘The success of the weekend has been down to the amazing effort of the RNLI teams in Dunbar and Eyemouth and St Abbs independent lifeboat, championed by Dunbar Lifeboat Operations Manager Ian Wilson. From the immediate feedback, all the crew involved in making this happen both attendees and support crews really felt the benefit of coming together to learn and share and we have seen real allyship and advocacy in supporting women to succeed in operational roles.

‘A huge thank you to our guest speakers who shared experiences on supporting women’s health, building confidence and resilience and understanding how human factors supports our decision making and capability. We’re working hard to create a more diverse RNLI and a crucial part of that is encouraging women into search and rescue roles. We’re incredibly proud of all our volunteers, lifeguards and staff who continue to support our mission to save lives at sea.’

The trailblazing initiative was the second of its kind in Scotland, after an inaugural event in Inverness last year. Launched in 2019 by the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF), Women in SAR (WISAR) is a global movement open to all lifeboat stations, including the RNLI and independent operations.

Volunteers from across the country were unanimous in their praise for the event. Laura Wilson, 44, a marketing manager who has volunteered with Kippford RNLI since 2019, said: ‘The WiSAR event was a huge success. I found the programme to be varied, interesting and useful for my role as a female in a volunteer operational role with the RNLI. The opportunity to mix with people from around the country, work on different types of boats and hear a range of viewpoints from the speakers will bring long term value to my ongoing development. I hope that we can all take what we learned back to our different corners of Scotland and continue to develop more inclusive and diverse lifeboat crews.’

Sarah Sim, 30, a volunteer navigator and trainee helm with Queensferry RNLI for over six years said: 'It was fantastic to meet so many women in SAR across operational roles and levels, and I came away feeling proud to be a part of such a strong community of women. It was inspiring to hear of others' experiences and being able to share knowledge in such a supportive and energising environment. Meeting women in a command role was very empowering, and I came away excited to continue in my training plan toward the helm role.’

Susan Barry, 60, a retired nurse, who volunteers with St Abbs lifeboat, said: ‘It was a fabulous weekend, truly empowering and inspiring to be part of this Women in SAR event. It was great to meet, work alongside and share experiences with other women who volunteer on lifeboats all over Scotland. It reminded me of how proud and privileged I am to be part of St Abbs Independent Lifeboat and also the wider lifesaving community.

Fellow St Abbs volunteer Julie McBirnie, 62, a retired orthopaedic surgeon, added: ‘It was a huge privilege and honour to be part of this fantastic weekend. All of the wonderful ladies – and men – who were involved were totally inspiring and I really hope to meet up with many of them again in the future. I feel especially honoured that our Independent Lifeboat was included in this event and I hope this means that we can work together more often in the future. Thank you to everyone, this was a truly life-changing experience.’

Daniella Barnes, 37, of Broughty Ferry RNLI, said: ‘As a fairly new crew member, I just wanted to say thank you for being so welcoming, inspiring and for showing me what’s possible. I’m feeling very lucky to be part of it all.’

Notes to editors

· Established in 1808, 16 years before the formation of the RNLI, Dunbar Lifeboat Station is one of the oldest in Scotland and is located on the south side of the mouth of the Firth of Forth.

· Since its formation, its volunteer crews have been honoured with 12 awards for gallantry.

· It operates two lifeboats – the Trent class all-weather lifeboat (ALB) John Neville Taylor, moored at Torness Power Station, and the D-class inshore lifeboat (ILB) David Lauder, which launches from Dunbar Harbour.

· A file photo of Dunbar’s lifeboats can be viewed here.

RNLI Media Contacts

For further information, please contact:

Douglas Wight, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for RNLI Scotland, douglas[email protected]

Richard Smith, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]

Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]

RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789, [email protected]

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The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.

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