RNLI – Lizard lifeboat press release

Nick Pryer, a volunteer crew member at The Lizard lifeboat station, has won a major training award for being the RNLI’s top student for 2006/7 throughout the UK and Ireland in RYA Shore-based Distance Learning courses. Dan Nicholson from Ocean Training (who was Nick’s tutor throughout his course) travelled to the station to present this year’s prize to Nick at the crew dinner held at Polurrian Hotel on 28 March 2008.

 The award was inaugurated at a ceremony at the St.Helier lifeboat station in November 2004. It is a lasting memorial to Jersey lifeboatman Paul Le Riche who was tragically lost at sea in a fishing boat accident in 2001. At the time of his death, he had been working towards his RYA Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster theory certificate on a Distance Learning course with Ocean Training.  The Paul Le Riche award is made annually by Ocean Training to the RNLI student who achieves the highest marks in their shore-based theory course. Nick was chosen as last year’s recipient after he achieved top marks in his Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster theory examinations and also completed the whole course in a very short time. 

Presenting this year’s prize to Nick, Dan Nicholson, praised Nick’s “considerable achievement” in out-performing the other 200 students from the RNLI’s 232 stations across the UK and Ireland and commended him for his hard work and diligence.

The annual dinner was attended by many of the crew, shore-helpers, station officials and supporters – an opportunity for all those involved with The Lizard Lifeboat station to get together and celebrate their achievements and a great time was had by all. A raffle held on the evening raise £260 for the new boat fund.

The RNLI, as a charity relies on donations to fund training and purchase and maintain lifesaving equipment – with more and more of us taking to the sea – the demand on the RNLI continues to grow – if you are able to help us in any way please either visit rnli.org.uk or telephone 0800 543210