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Volunteer Crew miss out on England Game

Lifeboats News Release

Volunteer Crew at Blyth Lifeboat Station missed the first half of the England football match and youngsters are reminded to Respect the Water as two find themselves unable to get back to land after jumping from Blyth pier

Two young people have been described as 'lucky to have been seen' by Volunteer lifeboat helmsman Scott Delf who along with two other crew members used the stations inshore D class lifeboat to rescue them from the sea shortly after 8pm on Monday 20th June 2016.
 
Crew members who responded to the call out were just sitting down to watch England take on Slovakia in the Euro 2016 Championships in France when the pagers almost coincided with the referee's opening whistle.

Luckily for the two youngsters the local harbour master at the Port of Blyth had spotted them in the water and,concerned for their safety, reported to the UK Coastguard Agency that the two appeared to be stranded underneath the end of the west pier at the entrance to the harbour.
 
Scott who was already at the lifeboat station following a monthly operations meeting prepared the lifeboat for launch and once more crew members arrived they proceeded to the area of the pier, arriving within two minutes.
 
The two individuals were brought aboard the lifeboat and once it was confirmed that they had suffered no injuries and no one else was in the water they were taken to safety and met by the local coastguard rescue team on Blyth beach.
 
The lifeboat then returned to station and was made ready for service again by 8:45pm.
 
Scott said "If it hadn't been for them being sighted by the harbour master they could of been in the water for a considerably longer time."
 
The RNLI urges all people venturing near the coast to Respect the Water. It's easier than you think to get into trouble in the water and around 190 people die in the British and Irish waters each year.
 
If you're going near the coast this summer consider the following :-
 
- Go to a lifeguarded beach and swim between the red and yellow flags.
 
- Before going into the sea,consider your ability and the conditions;swimming in the sea is very different to swimming in a pool.
 
- When your enter the water, take time to acclimatise to the water temperature.
 
- Have someone watching you from the beach and make sure they have means for calling for help.
 
For more information visit the RNLI's Respect The Water website or search "Respect The Water" on social media.
 
 
 

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 146,000 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.

About the author

robin_palmer
Volunteer Deputy Press Officer and Crew Member, Blyth Lifeboat Station

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