RNLI fundraising and partnership lead and volunteer crew member Dave Nicoll has been awarded an British Empire Medal (BEM) in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to maritime safety.

The deputy second coxswain at RNLI Falmouth started as a crew member in 1980 when he was 18. He is also a navigator on the station’s Severn Class All Weather Lifeboat and a local training assessor.

Since electronic RNLI records began in 1994 he has been involved with 820 launches, aided 864 people, spending 1,082 hours at sea saving lives and a further 1,800 hours during training and exercises.

In 2001, he joined the fundraising team as a staff member and has helped raise millions of pounds to save lives in the south west. He has led several fundraising events, including the Falmouth to St Mawes Castle-to-Castle Swim which he founded in 2012 and the Marazion Round the Mount Swim that has been running since 2019.

Collectively, these events have raised more than £350,000 with more than 4,000 participants. In 2022 he received Pirate FM’s Cornish Coastal Rescue Award in recognition of his dedicated service.

Dave is one of eight RNLI volunteers and staff members recognised in the latest King’s Birthday Honours.