St Bees RNLI in search for walker
At 12.25pm on Tuesday (7 May) volunteers at St Bees RNLI were requested by HM Coastguard to carry out a shoreline search for a possible missing person.
The volunteers at St Bees RNLI launched their inshore lifeboat Joy Morris OBE after a member of the public had found a rucksack at the top of St Bees Head near the lighthouse. The owner was unable to be located and it was thought that they may have fallen and injured themselves.
Whitehaven Coastguard Rescue Team asked if St Bees RNLI would carry out a search along the coastline. After an extensive search nothing was found, the volunteers returned to the station at 3pm. The lifeboat was then refuelled ready for the Tuesday evening training exercise at 6pm.
The owner was later found safe and well and pleased to be reunited with their rucksack. Dick Beddows, St Bees RNLI Operations Manager said: ‘The member of the public did exactly the right thing by dialling 999 and asking for the Coastguard.'
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity 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 142,700 lives.
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