Senior pupils at Gordonstoun School in Moray are now on call 24/7 to support HM Coastguard in search-and-rescue incidents across north-east Scotland. The school says it is the first in the UK to provide such a service.
The operational support team (OST) consists of eight pupils aged 17-18 who will assist with communications and logistics during emergencies. They are supervised by two Coastguard-trained members of staff and operate from a new purpose-built Coastguard centre opened by the Princess Royal last year.
Station officer Richard Cavaye said: “Going on call 24/7 is a big commitment for the students. They could be in a maths class or in bed during the middle of the night and suddenly their pager goes off.” The students have been split into watch teams available on alternate days.
Team member Molly Warren, 18, said: “We’ve been training hard for the opportunity to go on-call and we are all looking forward to putting our training into practice.” Thirty-one Gordonstoun pupils currently support HM Coastguard, including the eight qualified to be on-call.
The Winthrop-Young Gordonstoun Coastguard Centre replaced a watchtower opened in 1955 by Prince Philip, which was used by the then Prince Charles during his time at the school. Assistant Chief Coastguard John McBride praised the partnership as “a powerful example of how a local community can make a genuine contribution to lifesaving work.”
