Newquay RNLI volunteers assist trapped couple and horse-rider
Newquay's RNLI lifeboat volunteers were alerted on consecutive days and rescued a young Dutch couple trapped on rocks near Towan Beach, followed by assisting a woman who had been injured falling off a horse at the Gannel Estuary.
The RNLI crew responded in the D class inshore lifeboat, Enid Mary, at 11am on Tuesday (1 August) to assist the ambulance service, who had been called to the injured horse-rider. After having to get out and wade through the water with the lifeboat in the upper reaches of the estuary, due to the neap tide, three RNLI crew including a lifeboat volunteer who works as a paramedic, worked alongside colleagues from Newquay Coastguard and assisted the ambulance crew to help the woman safely across the estuary to the ambulance, from where she was taken to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro for treatment to her injuries.
Another member of the lifeboat crew, who is a RNLI shore-crew volunteer, happened to be painting his boat nearby when the lady fell off the horse onto the hard sand, and was able to reassure the injured holiday-maker until emergency services arrived, as well as contacting her family who were nearby in Trenance Gardens at the time of the accident. Once the lady had been taken to safety, the RNLI volunteers returned to Newquay Harbour at 12.45pm.
The lifeboat crew had been called-out at around midday the previous day (Monday 31 July) and rescued a young Dutch couple trapped by the tide on Bothwicks rocks, between Towan and Great Western beaches.
The alarm was raised by another of Newquay's RNLI volunteers on his charter angling vessel, Tamarisk, who saw the trapped pair and alerted Falmouth Coastguard.
The D class inshore lifeboat responded with two RNLI crew and rescued the couple, who were cold & wet after being trapped on the rocks for some time, before they were landed safely at the lifeboat station and given towels to warm-up.
A spokesman said: 'We have now answered four calls in as many days, which is only possible thanks to the public's generosity, and the crew are looking forward to welcoming our supporters to Newquay Lifeboat Day on Sunday 20 August'.
RNLI contacts:
Please contact Andy Hobkinson, volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer at Newquay RNLI lifeboat station, on 07880 507464 or email [email protected].
Alternatively, Amy Caldwell, RNLI Public Relations Manager (South) on 07920 818807 or email [email protected].
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.
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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.