The High Sheriff of the Isle of Wight, Graham Bliss, has attended Cowes RNLI Station to present its Lifeboat Operations Manager, Mark Southwell, with the first ever Maritime Volunteers Award.
Announced in October 2024, The High Sherriff’s Maritime Volunteers Award is designed to recognise the tremendous contribution made by volunteers in the maritime sector.
The award will be awarded annually to an individual volunteer who has demonstrated, over a number of years, exceptional service in the maritime sector through rescue services or and sailing clubs. Jeremy Dale, Managing Director at SeaSafe Systems Ltd, who sponsor the award, also attended the event.
Mark Southwell was nominated for the award by Hugh Robotham, who has been closely involved with the independent and subsequently the RNLI lifeboat in Cowes since 1988, and John Kidd, Cowes Harbour Master.
Mark has held the position of Lifeboat Operations Manager at Cowes Lifeboat Station since the RNLI took over from the Cowes Independent Lifeboat in 2008.
Mark managed the transition from independent lifeboat to the RNLI, and the move to the new premises on Cowes Parade, which was officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen in 2012.
Before this, he was the last full time Customs Officer on the Isle of Wight, based in the building which is now the lifeboat station.
Outside the RNLI, Mark is a member of the Island Sailing Club, where he acts as race safety officer, and is part of the organising teams for Cowes Week and many other major sailing events held in Cowes.
Graham Bliss, High Sheriff of the Isle of Wight, presented Mark with the award in a ceremony attended by the station’s crew and operational team.
Speaking to the station’s volunteers, Graham recognised Mark’s exceptional service in the maritime sector and his achievements at Cowes RNLI Station.
He said:
“The 11 fantastic applications we received for the first ever Maritime Volunteer Award truly reflect the strength and the depth of the voluntary and maritime sectors.
"I am delighted to announce Mark Southwell as the winner of the 2024 High Sheriff Maritime Volunteer Award.”
Alongside the award, Mark received a commemorative pin, one of only 50, depicting Henry Freeman, the sole survivor of the capsizing of Whitby lifeboat in 1861 during a rescue attempt.
Under Mark Southwell’s leadership, since 2008, Cowes RNLI Station has grown into a fully operational station with 35 volunteer crew, a water safety team and a visits team.
The station offers a 24 hour service, 7 days a week for 365 days a year to fulfil the RNLI mission – to ‘Save Everyone’.
Emergency Services Called To Newport Petrol Station After Car Crashes Into Kiosk
"There's Likely To Be In Excess Of 200 Redundancies": Island Trade Unionists On School Plans
Education Cabinet Member Faces Renewed Round Of Questions From Concerned Residents
Man Jailed After burglaries Armed With Baseball Bat And Firearm
Retailers Say Hampshire & Isle Of Wight Constabulary Is Best At Responding To Retail Crime
Full Council Opposes School Closure Plans In Blow To Cabinet
Eight Electric Vehicle Charging Bays Could Be Installed In Isle Of Wight Town Centre
New Drop-In Sessions Announced For Isle Of Wight Dementia Strategy Review
Plans To Enhance Luxury Freshwater Seafront Hotel Approved
Thousands Of Pounds Of Investment Needed If Housing Development Goes
Isle Of Wight College Firearm Report Sees 17 Year-Old Arrested In Cowes
Major Island Policy Forum To Consider Plans Aiming To Make Suicide Prevention 'Everybody's Business'
Latest Scam Warnings Issued For Isle Of Wight
First Acts Announced For Cowes Fringe 2025
Six Island Charities Supported By WightAID In Final Giving Round Of 2024
Two New Sites For Isle Of Wight's Gift To Nature
Councillors Lodge Motions Ahead Of Landmark School Closures Debate
Ryde Town Centre Victorian Warehouse Could Get Three New Flats
Controversial Bid To Build Renewable Energy Park Near Island Village Re-Emerges
East Wight Road Improvement Work To Take Place In February
