Coastguard members awarded King's Coronation medal

Neil Armistead, Ronni Muggridge, Jason Benn, Steve McKellar and Paul Helm received the medal

Five members of Furness Coastguard have been awarded the King's Coronation medal in recognition of their work.

Volunteers Neil Armistead, Ronni Muggridge, Jason Benn, Steve McKellar and Paul Helm, all from Furness, Cumbria, were presented with them by HM Coastguard area commander for the North West and North Wales, Michael Buratti.

Coronation medals are a tradition dating back to 1603, when James I was crowned, and are given to armed forces and frontline emergency service workers.

Mr Helm, station officer at Furness Coastguard, said: "We see this medal as a recognition for the unfearing work that we do."

Seven of the King's Coronation medals of recognition were presented to HM Coastguard volunteers in the North West, along with a commemorative coin

The members are all volunteers and can be called out 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

"We're in charge of co-ordinating civil and maritime incidents on the coast and inland areas such as the Lake District," Mr Helm added.

"We've given up meals, wedding parties, birthdays, called away to save people in unsociable hours... so this makes it all worthwhile to us."

The seven medals pictured include five from Furness Coastguard and two medals from stations in Millom and Morecambe, Lancashire.

Made of nickel silver, the medals have the royal cypher on one side and images of the King and Queen Consort on the other.

A commemorative coin was also awarded to Mr Benn for assisting in flood emergencies across the UK.