Kirkwall RNLI Volunteers Lauch for King’s Baton Relay

You could hear the chatter of gathering crowds along the pavement that flanks Harbour Street and the wall and railing along Kirkwall Harbour. Expectant faces looked down at the pontoon couched at the side of the old Corn Slip.

Then she appears, through the harbour entrance, where the West Pier reaches out towards the main pier. RNLB Margaret Foster carrying her volunteer crew and VIPs from the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games team, a representative of Kirkwall BID and Finlay Scott at the bow.

The water is very calm, unusually, hardly a breath of wind is blowing over Orkney, and cirrus clouds lightly felt a blue sky; Margaret Foster is reflected in the ripples she pushes towards the expectant crowds. The water ripples trigger cheers and waves as Coxswain Stewart Ryrie brought the lifeboat gently alongside the pontoon with the aid of other volunteer crew members.

Finlay Scott, the baton bearer on board, won a gold medal in squash at the Orkney 2025 Island Games. He also has links to Kirkwall Lifeboat Station, his father is a volunteer boat crew member, and his grandmother is part of the fundraising crew.

Cheers rise again as Finlay climbs the east gangway up to Kirkwall Harbour where the King’s Baton is passed to representatives from other local charities who carry the baton up to St. Magnus Cathedral before being relayed by another local athlete, sprinter Taylah Paterson.

RNLB Margaret Foster and the duty volunteer crew pull away to return to her berth as the crowds on land turn away with the procession; the noise drops and the harbour water stills.

Brian Kynoch, Lifeboat Operation Manager, said, ‘We were delighted and very proud to be part of the arrival of the King’s Baton and to land Finlay on the Pontoon in Kirkwall. RNLB Margaret Foster is looking splendid after her refit and it’s an honour to engage in community events like this.’

Notes to Editor

The King’s Baton Relay started at Buckingham Palace on 10 March 2025 (Commonwealth Day) travelling across 74 Commonwealth nations and territories over 500 days. Included in the relay was a Wales Leg, an England Leg and a final leg in Scotland. The Scottish leg started on 1 July and is going round 21 local authorities, including the islands of Bute, Mull, Harris and Lewis. Kirkwall BID negotiated for the baton to come to Orkney.

RNLI Media Contacts

For further information, please contact:

Erica Niven, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for RNLI Scotland, [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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