Published:
July 1, 2008 Burnham
Coastguards receive awards after Gloucestershire flood work
Six
members
of the Burnham-On-Sea Coastguard Rescue Team were awarded Chief
Coastguard Commendations on Tuesday evening (July 1st) following
their work during last year's Gloucestershire floods.
Following
unprecedented levels of rainfall on 20th July 2007, the civil
infrastructure of both Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire was overwhelmed,
resulting in substantial damage to property and the loss of electricity,
sewage treatment and water supplies.
As
part of the multi-agency response to the emergency, HM Coastguard
teams from Burnham, Weston, Clevedon, Portishead and Sharpness
undertook the role of delivering water to those most vulnerable
- and this work was recognised on Tuesday evening at a special
ceremony held in the Royal Pier Hotel, Weston attended by dozens
of guests and Coastguard officers from across the region.
Over
20 Coastguard Commendations were handed out to the officers, including
six from Burnham (pictured right).
Chief
Coastguard Rod Johnson praised the team, saying: "I would
like to express my appreciation to the Coastguard Rescue Officers
involved for their significant contribution to the Gloucestershire
flooding response."
"They
should be congratulated for their determination in ensuring that
the flood victims were provided with the provisions that they
needed during a very stressful time for all those affected."
Burnham
Coastguard Dave Ilsley read out a poem at the ceremony which captured
the mood of the Coastguard teams at the event - see video above.
More photos
Pictured
above are the Burnham team - Station Officer Steve Bird, Dave
Ilsley, Craig Groves, Robin Hewlett, Dave Welland, and Nigel Smith
- who were tasked with delivering thousands of water bottles over
several days
Over
20 Coastguard Commendations were handed out to the officers, including
six from Burnham (pictured right).
