Argyll and Bute Youth Award for Tobermory RNLI’s youngest volunteer crew member

Alexander Anderson received Argyll and Bute’s Youth Volunteering Award at a ceremony in Helensburgh last week. Alexander, aged 17, joined Tobermory’s volunteer crew last year. Within 24 hours of receiving his pager in May, Alexander responded to his first shout a false alarm to an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), which had gone off near Ben More near Loch Scridain. Since then Alexander has responded to six ‘shouts’ in addition to many hours training with the rest of the volunteer crew.

Alexander’s citation for the Argyll and Bute Youth Award read: ‘Whilst currently studying for his Highers, Alexander also has the responsibility of being a Senior Prefect and is actively involved in the life of the school, attending Prefect meetings, School Council Meetings and he is a keen sportsman. Alongside school, Alexander also juggles his duties as a Volunteer Lifeboat Crew Member with the RNLI. As the youngest member at 17, he has impressed his fellow crew members with the effort and commitment he puts in to any task he is given, becoming a highly respected member of the crew in the short time he has been there’.

Alexander follows in the footsteps of his father who spent over 20 years on the Tobermory Lifeboat crew, both as a volunteer and latterly as the full time Mechanic before retiring in 2016.

Tobermory RNLI Chairman, Richard ‘Popz’ Fairbairns said: ‘This is a very well deserved award for Alexander. As well as attending exercises every week and putting in the effort as he progresses to completing his initial training as a crew member, he has already responded to eight ‘shouts’. As the award citation states, this is in addition to his school activities and other interests. All of us at the station congratulate Alexander on winning this prestigious award.’

Leader of Argyll and Bute Council, Councillor Aileen Morton said: ‘We have so much to be proud of in Argyll and Bute and our young people are a huge part of that. That’s why it’s a real pleasure to be able to recognise the contribution that they make to life in our communities through the Argyll and Bute Awards 2018. These awards are much more than a way of highlighting the many achievements and successes of Argyll and Bute’s young people. They tell our young people that they matter – that what they do makes a difference to life in Argyll and Bute.’

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity 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 146,000 lives.

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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

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