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Lifesaving RNLI hero from Weston-super-Mare named in King’s Birthday Honours
Michael Buckland, retired volunteer RNLI helm and Lifeboat Operations Manager at Weston-super-Mare lifeboat station, has been recognised in His Majesty The King’s Birthday Honours for his role in helping the charity save lives at sea.
Awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), Mike joined the RNLI in 1999 and launched on 181 shouts, spending nearly 1,200 hours at sea, saving 10 lives.
During a period between 2018 and 2022 as Lifeboat Operations Manager – the volunteer responsible for the management of the station – Mike was instrumental in maintaining the charity’s progress towards re-establishing a permanent lifeboat station in Weston-super-Mare after it moved from its former home on Birnbeck Island to a temporary base on the mainland, something Mike achieved with enthusiasm and positivity despite the multiple challenges.
Mike managed the station and wider RNLI community expectations with a calm leadership presence, handling their morale while they continued to operate in unsatisfactory temporary conditions. Due to the risk profile of the area, the importance of his leadership in maintaining the delivery of a 24/7 rescue service cannot be understated. This contribution is in addition to all his other commitments at Weston-super-Mare RNLI.
Due to work pressures, Mike stood down as LOM at the end of April 2022 but remained as a Deputy Launching Authority (DLA) and helm. In November 2022 he retired completely after 23 years service.
Mike said: ‘The news is still sinking in, but I feel truly honoured to receive this award both for me and for Weston-super-Mare Lifeboat Station.
‘Everything I’ve ever done as part of volunteering for the RNLI has been a team effort. Thanks to everyone who has worked with me and supported me during my RNLI career, especially my family as without their unwavering support I could never have done what I have.’
Mike joins two other RNLI volunteers to tally a total of 114 years of service between them who have been recognised by His Majesty The King for their incredible contribution to the charity. Nominated by the international search and rescue community, the RNLI’s former International Director, James Vaughan, has been awarded an OBE for the impact his work has had on drowning prevention worldwide.
RNLI Chief Executive, Mark Dowie said: ‘ Volunteers are the heart of the RNLI and make up the vast majority of our people. These three volunteers epitomise our values of selflessness, courage, dependability and trustworthiness in everything they do.
‘It is incredible to think that one of them started with us when the RNLI was still manually launching Watson class lifeboats off Dungeness beach – few active volunteers have witnessed such significant changes in lifesaving.
‘It is also wonderful to see the vital work of the RNLI’s international team recognised for the first time in the Honours awards. Our founder, Sir William Hillary, foresaw an organisation that extended its views “from our own immediate coasts to the most remote quarters of the globe”. Today, our international vision is of a world in which no-one should drown.
‘My congratulations go to all four recipients and our thousands of other volunteers and staff who work tirelessly to deliver our essential lifesaving services.’
