When David Hastings was rescued by a lifeboat after being blown off an oil tanker in a deadly explosion, he felt a debt of gratitude to those who saved his life.

He has spent the last 43 years repaying that debt fundraising for the RNLI, and has been named in this year’s New Year Honours.

David, now 66 from Fencehouses, County Durham, was on board the Coastal Corpus Christi, a 330,000-ton tanker off the coast of Aruba in the Caribbean on November 2, 1980 when a huge explosion went off.

He was blown off the ship, suffering second degree burns to 80 per cent of his body.

The Northern Echo: David Hastings.David Hastings. (Image: DAVID HASTINGS)

“It took me seven years to recover,” David said. “A lot of people worked very hard to save my life.

“I think the reason I do it (fundraising) is to give back.”

That life-changing incident wasn’t the start of David’s association with the RNLI. Staying with his aunt in Cornwall in 1976 he manned a stall for the charity at a local lifeboat harbour day.

“We went down but they had no one to man one of the stands for the day, so I did it. I had lots of fun and, I’m guessing raised a reasonable amount of money.”

But since then his dedication to fundraising for those who go out to sea risking their own lives to save others has never waned.

David is the honorary secretary of the Durham branch of the RNLI. Since 2002 he has helped his branch raise almost £500,000.

Asked what has kept him going for so many years, he replied: “You volunteer because you want to. You work because you have to. There’s a big difference.”

Last month David arrived home to find a letter from the Cabinet Office on his doormat saying he had been put forward for a British Empire Medal in the New Year Honours.

He said: “The first you know is when you get a letter. It’s completely out of the blue.

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“You don’t fundraise to get awards or medal, you do it because it’s the right thing to do and it helps people.”

“I think my family will be very proud of me.”

A British Empire Medal is awarded by the local Lord Lieutenant meaning he’ll miss out on potentially receiving the award from King Charles III. Instead he’ll receive an invite to a garden party at Buckingham Palace at a later date.

“I think a new suit may be in order,” he said.