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Kessock Lifeboat volunteers assist injured walker and dog near Avoch

Lifeboats News Release

The volunteer crew of RNLI Kessock Lifeboat were paged to launch at 12.12pm on Saturday 25 March to assist a 67 year old female dog walker who had fallen from a footpath and injured her ankle while walking between Ormond Hill and Avoch on The Black Isle.

The lady had fallen and was unable to get herself back up to the path without assistance. It was in an area of dense woodland that made locating her harder for the volunteer crew. Her location wasn’t visible from the shoreline, it was when the lifeboat pulled further away from the shoreline that she was spotted.

Helmsman Mark Murison took the Atlantic 85 lifeboat, The Robert and Isobel Mowat in as close as the shore as possible before sending 2 crew to wade ashore through waist deep water.

By the time she was reached the lady had been able to make her own way down towards the shoreline and was fine apart from feeling the effects of the cold. It was decided that the quickest way to get her back to safety was to carry her and Peanut, the Jack Russell dog back out to the lifeboat.

With the lady walker and Peanut safely back aboard the lifeboat they all made their way round to Avoch harbour where they were met by the Inverness and Nairn Coastguard Rescue team.

Following a quick handover to the Coastguard team because of the falling tide in Avoch harbour the lifeboat left Avoch as quickly as possible, returning to the boathouse in Kessock by 2.30pm.

Media contacts:

Dan Holland, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, RNLI Kessock, 07900 567 496 [email protected]

Richard Smith, RNLI Public Relations Manager for Scotland, 01738 642956, 07786 668903, [email protected]

Henry Weaver, RNLI Press Officer for Scotland, 01738 642946, 07771 943026, [email protected]

RNLI 24 hour Press Office, 01202 336789

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

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