The Ocean Training Paul Le Riche Award 2008 Cleethorpes Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) crew member Kelly Blackburn has won a national training award after coming top of the class in a navigation and seamanship course. Kelly, 25, has won the Paul Le Riche Award, presented each year to the RNLI student who achieves the best results on an Ocean Training shore-based theory distance learning course. The award winner is jointly selected by Ocean Training – a company which trains students all over the world - and the RNLI. The award was created in memory of Jersey lifeboatman Paul Le Riche, 38, who had just started studying with Ocean Training when he died at sea almost eight years ago. It is presented each year to the best RNLI student on Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Navigation and Seamanship shore-based theory courses, which supplement RNLI training for prospective helmsmen and coxswains. Kelly has been a volunteer crew member on Cleethorpes RNLI’s Blue Peter VI D class lifeboat for five years and works for North East Lincolnshire Council as a beach safety team duty officer. She said: Kelly has clocked up nearly 300 hours sea time on lifeboats this year and won the award after successfully completing the RYA Day Skipper course run by Ocean Training. She will be formally presented with her award early next year. Gary Barlow, Cleethorpes RNLI Senior Helmsman, said: ‘Everyone at Cleethorpes lifeboat station is very proud of Kelly’s achievements. The hard work she put into the course is typical of the determination and commitment she has shown since joining us five years ago and the fact that she has been chosen from candidates throughout the United Kingdom for this award in memory of a fellow lifeboatman is an outstanding honour.’ |
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