A fundraising volunteer at Penlee RNLI is just one among a number of people in Cornwall recognised in His Majesty The King’s New Year Honours.

Rosalie Whitlock who has dedicated over 52 years to helping the charity save lives at sea has been awarded the British Empire Medal  

Rosalie, the Fundraising Secretary at Penlee Lifeboat Station, has been an integral part of the RNLI lifesaving community in Penlee, Mousehole and Newlyn since joining as a fundraiser in 1970 with a collection box on the main street of Penzance.

She quickly became Honorary Fundraising Secretary at Penlee, a position she has held for 48 years and a position she continues to carry out with energy and enthusiasm to this day.

She then began selling souvenirs from a weekly table top stall in the town car park before having the vision to set up the RNLI’s first shop in Penzance in 1983.

She is still the volunteer shop manager, sharing her wealth of experience with other RNLI shops across the South West. Since she joined, the Penlee Fundraising Branch is credited with raising nearly £2 million through souvenir and shop sales and local events.

Rosalie said: "I am thrilled and delighted about this award; it’s quite overwhelming, though none of it would have been possible without the team of dedicated volunteers.

"The RNLI is a wonderful family and one which I am proud to belong to. While I believe one should never look for thanks doing a job that you love, when you get recognition, it really means so much."

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Rosalie also played a pivotal role during the Penlee Lifeboat Disaster when, in December 1981, all eight RNLI crew on the Solomon Browne tragically lost their lives in an attempt to save the crew onboard the Union Star.

She organised a team of fundraisers who worked day and night for several weeks taking calls and dealing with the sacks of mail and donations that were arriving daily while also supporting friends and her local community grieving for those lost.

She said: "My heart will always be with Penlee, having been through those dark times of the disaster, being there in the aftermath and then slowly helping to build the station up again to what we are today has been a great privilege."