Captain Peter Woodworth, of Fleetwood lifeboat, received two surprises during a celebration lunch.



Peter was firstly, surprised to receive Bar to the Gold Medal for his ‘valuable support of the lifeboat service’ for the past 30 years. But the biggest surprise came when the award was presented by Michael Vlasto OBE, the recently retired Operations Director to the RNLI.

Michael was hugely important in the development of the RNLI into a world leading Search and Rescue (SAR) organisation and had strong links to Fleetwood RNLI.

Peter joined Fleetwood RNLI as Deputy Launching Authority in 1986, after becoming involved with the volunteer lifeboat crew at Fleetwood Nautical College. After almost 20 years as Lifeboat Operations Manager, Peter became Chairman, a post he still holds today.

Peter said ‘The presentation came as a big surprise, but nothing like the surprise at seeing Michael again. It was a fantastic day and a great honour to receive the award. I’m grateful to Michael and the lifeboat crew for making it a special occasion’.

The Gold Medal is presented to RNLI members on 25 years service. The Bar to the Gold Medal is an additional, prestigious award.