ESRA recognised with the King’s Award for Voluntary Service
We’re proud to share that East Sutherland Rescue Association (ESRA) has been announced as one of this year’s recipients of the King’s Award for Voluntary Service; the highest honour given to volunteer groups across the United Kingdom. The award recognises exceptional contributions made by volunteers to their communities and is regarded as the group equivalent of an MBE.
Founded in 1982, we operate the Dornoch Firth Independent Lifeboat and provide a vital emergency response service across more than 120 kilometres of coastline, from Helmsdale in the north to Balintore in the south. Our organisation is made up entirely of volunteers who give their time freely to help others and keep people safe on and around the water.
We’re a Declared Facility with HM Coastguard, which means we’re tasked directly by the Coastguard in response to 999 calls. Our crew are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and can launch within minutes from Dornoch Beach. The team is made up mainly of local people from all walks of life who volunteer their time to help others. Among us are serving emergency-service professionals, former armed-forces personnel and ex-Police officers, all bringing valuable experience to the station. We also provide training for newly qualified doctors in the handling of cold-water casualties, and our team includes trained Marine Mammal Medics who provide specialist assistance during marine-wildlife incidents.
We’re an independent charity that works alongside the RNLI and other rescue services. We receive no government funding and rely entirely on donations from the public to keep our lifeboats running. It costs around £60,000 each year to maintain the service, and we now respond to around a dozen callouts annually; more than 500 rescues since the charity began. We currently operate two vessels: the 8.5-metre Wildland and the 5-metre Glen Cassley.
Our Honorary President and one of our founders, Neil Dalton MBE, said that the award represents “an extraordinary recognition of ordinary people who simply want to make a difference in their community.”
Our Chair, Antony Hope, added, “Our volunteers give their time, skill and courage and expect nothing in return. To be recognised at national level is a proud moment and a great achievement for all those connected to ESRA, past and present.”
Major-General Patrick Marriott CB CBE DL, Lord-Lieutenant of Sutherland, said, “The King’s Award for Voluntary Service recognises superlative work by voluntary organisations nationally. It is the organisational equivalent of an “MBE” for volunteer groups. The original Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service was created in 2002 and the award made to the East Sutherland Rescue Association (ESRA) today is the first ever made to an organisation in Sutherland. Across the United Kingdom the competition bar is set extraordinarily high. The span of work, primarily charitable and in parallel to their rescue role, made ESRA stand out. ESRA’s contributions to Dornoch and, more widely to Sutherland and Ross & Cromarty, was deemed superb. And all those things are delivered by volunteer crews and their vital supporters. ESRA is a beacon of “how to get things done”, an exemplar to communities. It is 'what good looks like'. Wholehearted congratulations to ESRA: the leadership, the team, and all their families and supporters too.”
We’re proud to be a founder member of the National Independent Lifeboat Association (NILA), which was formed in 2022 to promote and support independent lifeboat stations across the United Kingdom. We continue to work closely with our local community on water safety and education, and train regularly on Dornoch Beach every Wednesday evening and Sunday morning. We also have a close connection with the crew of HMS Sutherland, who’ve visited our station several times, trained with us, and been out aboard Wildland.
The King’s Award for Voluntary Service will be presented locally by the Lord-Lieutenant of Sutherland on behalf of His Majesty The King at a ceremony still to be arranged. Representatives from ESRA will also be invited to attend a Royal Garden Party next year.
About the King’s Award for Voluntary Service
The King’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award given to volunteer organisations across the United Kingdom. It’s often described as the MBE for volunteer groups, and is personally approved by His Majesty The King.
It recognises organisations whose work makes an outstanding difference to their community, demonstrates excellence in leadership and teamwork, and shows lasting positive impact over time. Each nomination is rigorously assessed both locally and nationally.
For us, this recognition reflects the strength of our training, the professionalism of our volunteers and the vital service we provide across East Sutherland. It acknowledges more than forty years of dedication to safety, community service and voluntary commitment and it opens doors for the future, helping us to raise awareness, attract new volunteers, and strengthen our position when applying for grants or funding.
We receive no government funding and depend entirely on the generosity of the public to remain operational. Donations can be made securely online at esra.uk/donate.
We’re always keen to hear from anyone interested in volunteering; details on how to get involved can be found at esra.uk/team.
