A Kilkeel man has been presented with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's first ever lifetime achievement award, marking seven decades of involvement with the charity.

Merwyn Hanna MBE received the honour at a ceremony in the Harbour Commissioners Office in Belfast, where volunteers were acknowledged for long service and rescue efforts.

Mr Hanna began supporting the RNLI in 1956, serving on its fundraising committee long before Kilkeel had its own lifeboat station. He continued that fundraising work even after the town welcomed its first lifeboat in 1986, when he also took on the role of launch authority.

As a launch authority, he assessed emergency calls and decided whether to dispatch the lifeboat, coordinating with the station crew. After 14 years in that position, he became the station's operations manager and later its president.

In 2005, Queen Elizabeth II appointed him an MBE for his service to the RNLI. He remains an honorary life governor of the Kilkeel lifeboat station.

Speaking after the ceremony, Mr Hanna said his long involvement had been a privilege and expressed admiration for both the lifeboat volunteers and the public who fund the service through donations, legacies and fundraising. He described the recognition as a collective effort, noting that everyone involved plays their part.