Valentine’s Day at Peterhead RNLI Lifeboat
Love is in the (sea) air this Valentine’s Day at Peterhead RNLI Lifeboat
Wilma’s unwavering support of Mike’s duties becomes clearer once you understand she pushed him to volunteer for the RNLI in the first place.
Mike says: ‘Initially, I was a 2nd Officer on Platform Supply Vessels, working a month-on/month-off rotation. During my time off, I found myself bored, so Wilma told me to get a hobby. The rest is history—that was 20 years ago, and I’ve never looked back.’
It helps too that their shared passion has been united through their decades-long involvement with the charity. ‘Knowing Wilma supports me by raising funds and awareness for the Peterhead RNLI crew means the world to me. Her dedication gives me peace of mind, knowing she’s as committed to saving lives as I am, just in a different way,’ he adds.
‘It’s a mix of pride and worry, knowing Mike volunteers on the lifeboat. I’m incredibly proud of his bravery and dedication, but of course, there’s always that little knot of concern when he’s out on a shout,’ says Wilma.
‘That’s why I put my heart into raising funds and awareness—because every bit of support helps keep him and the crew safe while they’re saving others. I’m very proud of what he and the rest of the crew do; it’s very much a big family, and I’m always amazed at the response to rescues we receive from the public.’
This year marks 30 years together for Wilma and Mike, however they aren’t the only Peterhead RNLI pair celebrating a special occasion. Soon-to-be married couple Kyle and Bex will also spend Valentine’s Day with Kyle on the pager as the station’s coxswain, before tying a different kind of knot at the end of the month.
Kyle’s interest in the RNLI was instilled in him by his father, a full-time coxswain at Montrose RNLI Lifeboat Station. After joining the crew himself at just 17, Kyle quickly rose through the ranks to become the station’s youngest ever D class lifeboat helmsman and all-weather lifeboat mechanic. In 2024, he took on the coxswain role full-time at Peterhead.
Soon after meeting his fiancé Bex, she too caught the lifeboat love bug and took no time in getting involved with donation collections. Within two years, Bex joined the team full-time as a volunteer fundraiser, where her embodiment of the RNLI community spirit has continued to shine through, particularly whenever she has an opportunity to don the iconic Stormy Stan mascot costume.
‘Watching Kyle live his lifeboat dream makes me feel incredibly proud,’ says Rebecca. ‘It can be worrying when he’s called out to a rescue, especially during the night, but I remind myself how much of a difference he is making saving lives at sea.’
Kyle says: ‘It’s comforting to know she’s there whenever I come home from a call out to sea.’
To find out more about volunteering for the RNLI, visit https://rnli.org/support-us/volunteer
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