MAYDAY! RNLI in Scotland issue call for help after launching over 1,251 times

In Scotland, volunteer lifeboat crews at 46 lifeboat stations around the coast launched 1,251 times in 2023 – an increase of over 12% compared to the previous year, saving 15 lives.  

The charity is now putting out its own Mayday call as it faces yet another busy year ahead.  

In Orkney, Stromness RNLI Lifeboat Station launched 16 times in 2023 – an increase of 45% compared to the previous year. The station responds to a variety of calls with volunteer crew members trained for a number of scenarios, including walkers and climbers at nearby cliffs. One of those calls was for Louise Houghton.  

In May 2022, Louise was visiting Orkney with friends after making the long journey north from Wigan. Unfortunately, the holiday came to an abrupt end when Louise was involved in a climbing accident on the first day of the trip.  

‘We were experiencing some bad weather, so decided to postpone our trip to the Old Man of Hoy until later in the week and went to do some warmup climbs at Yesnaby cliffs instead. My partner, Allan, set up the anchor and abseiled down the cliff, and then it was my turn to descend.’ 

However, disaster struck when Louise came over the edge of the cliff and fell after the anchor failed.  

‘I remember falling, and then being pulled out of the water by my friends. It all happened so quickly.’  

Louise had fallen a substantial distance and hit the rocks before landing in the water. Her friends at the bottom rushed to her aid and retrieved her from the sea.   

‘I remember passerbys at the top of the cliff throwing down their coats in an attempt to keep me warm, but I remember feeling hot. My vision began to go blurry, but I also felt a wave of an adrenaline and started chatting to my friends.’  

Before long, the Stromness RNLI lifeboat, Violet Dorothy and Kathleen, arrived on scene, and the crew dispatched the sister craft to reach Louise on the rocks in the shallow water.   

Louise adds: ‘I don’t remember seeing the lifeboat arrive as I was lying down, staring up at the sky. However, I remember seeing Peter’s beard!’  

Peter Mackay is a volunteer crew member at Stromness RNLI and was one of the volunteers who responded to Louise’s call for help. He’s been on the crew for nearly 11 years.  

‘We received our pager call and were informed it was a climber who had fallen from Yesnaby cliffs. My initial thoughts were ‘this isn’t very good’ - we’ve unfortunately never had a survivor after a fall from there.  

‘When I arrived on the scene, I was quite surprised to see Louise fully conscious and talking. I expected the worse.’  

Peter did not have a lot of time to administer casualty care due to the rocky location, rising tide and Louise’s deteriorating state.  

‘I had to make a decision as Louise was slipping in and out of consciousness. I made an initial assessment and requested another crew member came to help me put her on a stretcher, and then transfer her to the all-weather lifeboat.’  

Louise was transferred over to the Stromness RNLI All-weather lifeboat, Violet Dorothy and Kathleen, and was then winched by a Coastguard helicopter to be transferred to Balfour Hospital in Kirkwall.  

Peter continued, ‘I had to stay on the rocks while they transferred Louise to the lifeboat, but when she arrived, the crew didn’t think she was still with us.  

‘Fortunately, she regained consciousness and left with the Coastguard helicopter. She definitely left in a better way then how we found her.’  

She was later transferred to Aberdeen Hospital where she spent a total of two weeks, one of which was in intensive care, and then later transferred to Salford Hospital so she could be closer to home. Louise spent a total of 4 months recovering in hospital, of which she couldn’t walk for 12 weeks, until she was discharged in September 2022.  

‘I broke my left arm, my back in multiple places, my pelvis and both my feet. I wasn’t allowed to stand for 12 weeks until I could weight bear. I needed extra care and was placed on a rehab ward. 

‘My whole life changed in an instant. I went from being active and outdoorsy, to not being able to stand for 12 weeks. It was both physically and mentally challenging, and I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family and friends. I also can’t forget about the amazing RNLI volunteers who came to my rescue – without them, I wouldn’t be here today.’  

In June 2023, a year after her accident, Louise revisited Orkney to meet with the crew at Stromness RNLI Lifeboat Station who saved her life on that fateful day.  

‘It was amazing to meet the crew who rescued me that day and say thank you to them. They chatted me through the rescue and told me things I didn’t remember from that day.’ 

Volunteer crewmember Peter added: ‘It was amazing to see Louise. We couldn’t believe it when she arrived at Stromness RNLI with her family. She has a fantastic support network around her.’ 

In August 2023, Louise went on to run 5km in support of Stromness RNLI and to say thank you to the volunteer crew. What’s more, volunteer crew members at Stromness RNLI, including Peter, also completed the distance on the same day in their full kit to support Louise all the way up in Orkney.  

‘It was an incredibly emotional day. I felt so happy that I managed to complete the challenge and achieve my goal of running 5km to support the RNLI in Stromness. The volunteer crew saved my life that day, and I wouldn’t be here without them.’  

It has been a long recovery for Louise, but she has remained determined and recently completed her next challenge of running 10km.   
 
Jill Hepburn, Head of Region for the RNLI in Scotland, says: ‘Summer is our busiest time of year, with thousands of people at risk of getting into danger by the water. Having recently marked the RNLI’s 200th anniversary, we’re putting out our call for help to raise the funds which will help keep our lifesaving service going today and into the future.