Holywell Bay Surf Lifesaving Club Honoured with Prestigious King’s Award

Holywell Bay Surf Lifesaving Club has been awarded the King’s Award for Voluntary Service, a prestigious accolade announced by Buckingham Palace yesterday morning as part of the King’s Birthday Honours List. This recognition, equivalent to an MBE, highlights the remarkable dedication and impact of the club’s volunteers.

The club, founded in 1962, operates entirely through the efforts of volunteers. With around 300 members aged between 6 and 70-plus, it represents an impressive 10% of the population of the villages it serves—St Newlyn East, Holywell, and Cubert. The volunteers’ expertise spans accredited lifeguard and swimming trainers to paramedics, builders, nurses, and drivers.

Transforming Lives Through Lifesaving

Praising the club’s work, the award’s citation emphasised its role in providing swim and lifeguard training to 90 members annually. It also commended the support offered to young people, particularly those with mental health and learning difficulties.

Describing the organisation as “passionate, dynamic, and vibrant”, the citation hailed its life-saving efforts and community-building activities. It concluded, “Holywell Bay Surf Lifesaving Club is an inspiration to all communities, an exemplar in self-supporting and self-funding excellence in the community.”

A Proud Moment for the Club

Chairman Steve Peck expressed his gratitude for the recognition, saying, “First and foremost we would like to wish the King a very happy birthday. It is genuinely humbling for people’s efforts to be recognised in this way. We have come a very long way from our humble beginnings in a wooden hut more than 60 years ago to the life-saving kit and space-age electricity system we have now. I hope that the founding members of our club would be incredibly proud of how things are going today.”

The award is another highlight in a significant year for the club. In May, members joined Newquay Surf Life Saving Club to demonstrate their work to Prince William during his visit to Newquay.

Steve added, “I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved as a club and my thanks goes out to all of our volunteers, past and present, that selflessly give up their time week in and week out, to support the club in every way imaginable. Whether it is safeguarding beachgoers, running training sessions, or organising events, our volunteers are the heart and soul of our club. Long may we continue to train and nurture the younger generation of our community. Our hope is that they become the future ambassadors for the club.”

Learn More About Holywell Bay Surf Lifesaving Club

The club serves as both a lifesaving centre and a social venue for its members, uniting the community and making a lasting difference. To find out more about their work, visit Holywell Bay Surf Lifesaving Club’s website.