Portree RNLI celebrates new volunteer press officer

Robert John MacInnes, who is from Kishorn originally but moved to the Isle of Skye three years ago, first joined the lifeboat station in April 2024.

After a year long training programme, Robert successfully passed the necessary assessment to become the approved Lifeboat Press Officer (LPO) for the Isle of Skye RNLI station on Saturday 26 July.

He brings ten years of experience working between the aquaculture, marine and media industries to the volunteer role.

Robert said:

‘Joining the RNLI as an LPO is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had. My local RNLI station and the wider RNLI team have been incredibly supportive since I first started in the shore-based role. Coming from a family of seafarers and fish farmers, I know first-hand the vital role that the RNLI plays in our coastal communities. I jumped at the opportunity to join the crew to give something back to the charity and island that I now call home.

‘I have really enjoyed the training programme, which has given me so much great knowledge that I am looking forward to using in the future. The role of the LPO can be quite full on at times, particularly during a busy media campaign or news story, but I absolutely love it.

‘As a charity that relies on donations to help provide the lifesaving service that we do, it is important to me to showcase not just the lifeboat itself, but also the wider volunteer crew roles, fundraisers, supporters and the local communities we are based within.’

Robert has worked at his local radio station, Radio Skye, for the last three years as the Youth Mentor and has been a presenter there since 2016. He also has his own media and PR small business – Mezz Deck Media – along with being a traditional musician and singer.

The volunteer role of the Lifeboat Press Officer (LPO) is wide ranging – from writing news releases after a launch, to updating the social media pages, and engaging with the public with key messaging such as RNLI Float to Live advice.

Stuart Nicolson, Coxswain at Portree RNLI, said:

‘On behalf of the crew and team at Portree RNLI, I’d like to congratulate Robert on his official appointment to the role of LPO. It’s essential to have a good, up-to-date media presence – between social media and official news stories - and Robert brings the perfect blend of experience to the role. We’ve been able to utilise his experience as a camera drone operator to create short films about the lifeboat and station, whilst also maintaining a regular presence within local and national news platforms.’

Natasha Rushby, Regional Communications Manager for the RNLI in Scotland, added:

‘The volunteer role of Lifeboat Press Officer acts as a bridge between our incredible volunteers at the RNLI lifeboat stations across the UK and Ireland, and local and national media, plus our supporters via social media. It can a challenging role, but it is a vital part of the RNLI as a charity to help promote the lifesaving work that we do. It’s been great to see the media presence at Portree RNLI growing over the last year and I congratulate Robert on completing the required training to become an LPO. Thank you!’

Robert hopes to continue to grow the social media following at the station in the coming months, whilst also showcasing more about the work of the volunteer crews and fundraisers. He said:

‘We have lots of ideas for content, including crew feature interviews and more ‘come with us’ videos for social media. August is going to be a busy month, with both the Portree RNLI fishing competition on 21 August and the annual Open Day on 23 August. I’m looking forward to documenting these!

‘I would highly recommend the LPO role to anyone who would like to get involved in their local RNLI station in a shore-based capacity. It’s very rewarding and there is a great deal of support from the organisation during the training process.’

You can follow Portree RNLI on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. For official news stories and press releases, head to the RNLI website.

The RNLI is a charity that has been saving lives at sea for over two hundred years. It relies on donations and support from the public to operate the lifesaving service that it does.

There are over 5,700 volunteer RNLI lifeboat crew members at 238 lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland, with a further 4,000 volunteer shore crew members. Our volunteers are on call and ready to respond to calls for help 24 hrs a day, 365 days of the year.

ENDS

Notes to editors

· All photos in this press release are credited to Robert MacInnes/Portree RNLI.

· Portree Lifeboat Station was established in 1991 and operates a Trent class all-weather lifeboat – Stanley Watson Barker. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/portree-lifeboat-station

RNLI media contacts

For further information, please contact:

Robert MacInnes, Lifeboat Press Officer at Portree RNLI: 07950 421829 / [email protected]

Natasha Rushby, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland: 07826 900639 / [email protected]

Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Scotland: 07920 365929 / [email protected]

RNLI Press Office: 01202 336789 or [email protected]

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.