An Angle RNLI volunteer crew member has been honoured for his long and devoted service to the charity that saves lives at sea.

Derek Richards was presented with his 40-year Long Service Badge by the Chairman of the RNLI, Stuart Popham, at a ceremony at the New House Country House Hotel, Cardiff. He was accompanied by his wife Lisa and they were joined by award-winning lifeboat volunteers and fundraisers from all parts of the UK.

Two years ago, Derek’s brother, Angle’s Second Coxswain Danny Richards, was presented with a 40-year Long Service Badge at an RNLI awards ceremony at Swansea.

Derek joined the Angle station as a volunteer in 1978 and has served in three all-weather lifeboats there, the Watson class Richard Vernon and Mary Garforth of Leeds, the Tyne class The Lady Rank and the Tamar class Mark Mason, as well a D-class inshore lifeboat Isabella Mary.

He has also served with six coxswains, Rees Holmes to 1981; Gerald Edwards (Derek’s brother), 1981-1993; Jeremy Rees, 1993-2010; Lee Firmin (Staff Coxswain), 2010; Andy Elliott, 2010-2013 and Lewis Creese, 2013-to date.

In 1997, he was one of seven Angle lifeboat crew members who received awards for saving four lives in a Force 8 gale off Skomer Island, when a disabled passenger boat was snatched from the foot of 80-foot cliffs.

On May 5 of that year, The Lady Rank was launched to assist the motor vessel Dale Princess, which had anchored in North Haven, Skomer Island, to effect engine repairs. Her anchors were dragging and the vessel was in danger of being driven ashore.

During the six-hour service, which involved manoeuvring the lifeboat in a tiny cove battered by the onshore gale, Coxswain Jeremy Rees took the lifeboat near enough to connect a tow, despite the treacherous backwash from the cliff. The Dale Princess, with her crew, was then towed to Neyland Marina.

It was an outstanding rescue and Coxswain Jeremy Rees was later awarded the RNLI’s Bronze Medal for bravery. Medal Service Badges were awarded to crew member Derek and his brother Danny (Second Coxswain), Adam Stringer (Assistant Mechanic) and crew members Roger O’Callaghan (Derek’s father-in-law), David Lawrence and Bernard Jonker.

Angle is one of the busiest lifeboat stations in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, with over 60 call-outs so far this year.