Pupils at King’s old school to be on call 24/7 to support Coastguard
Charles was a member of Gordonstoun’s Coastguard service during his time at the school.
A service which sees students at the King’s former school support Coastguard rescue teams responding to lifesaving incidents has gone live.
Senior pupils in the operational support team (OST) at Gordonstoun School in Moray will be on call 24/7 to help HM Coastguard with arranging the response to emergency search-and-rescue incidents across north-east Scotland.
The school said it is the first in the UK to support the Coastguard in this way.
The OST, comprising eight pupils aged 17-18, will play a “behind the scenes” role, supporting the Coastguard with communications and logistics during incidents.
They will be strictly supervised by two members of Gordonstoun staff who are Coastguard trained.
The team will operate from a new purpose-built Coastguard centre which was officially opened by the Princess Royal last year.
Richard Cavaye, station officer of the Gordonstoun Coastguard OST, 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.
“They must be ready to respond immediately at all times, but they are really excited about getting the opportunity to support our local communities by assisting with real ‘live’ emergency incidents.
“The students have been split into ‘watch’ teams who will be available on alternate days to support HM Coastguard north east when required.
“Once the call comes in, everyone meets at the Coastguard centre to get all their kit before mobilising to the forward control point.
“There will be strict supervision protocols in place to safeguard the students when responding to incidents, overseen by myself and other staff.
“The students have spent many days in intense training, including communications and first aid, meaning they are now amongst the most qualified at Gordonstoun.”
The OST is made up of five girls and three boys.
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 and supporting HM Coastguard.
“We feel we have a lot to offer and hope that our year will be the first of many from Gordonstoun to support HM Coastguard on live search and rescues.”
Thirty-one Gordonstoun pupils currently support HM Coastguard, including the eight qualified to be on-call.
The Winthrop-Young Gordonstoun Coastguard Centre opened by the Princess Royal last year replaced the previous “watchtower” structure opened in 1955 by Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh.
The watchtower was used by the then Prince Charles when he was a member of Gordonstoun’s Coastguard service during his time at the school.
In a TV broadcast in 1977, Charles described how, as a teenager, he found it “extraordinarily exciting and rewarding” to be involved in the Coastguard unit.
Assistant Chief Coastguard John McBride said: “This partnership with Gordonstoun is a powerful example of how a local community can make a genuine contribution to lifesaving work.
“The operational support team provides trusted, well-trained support that strengthens our response capability, while allowing professional coastguards to concentrate on activity at the scene.
“What is particularly impressive is the level of commitment shown by the students and staff.”
