Cullercoats RNLI lifeboat responds to 'Mayday' call during crew Halloween party
Cullercoats RNLI lifeboat was requested to launch at 11.20pm on Saturday (28 October) following a 'Mayday' call near Cullercoats Bay.
With a crew of four, the lifeboat launched quickly and began a search of the Cullercoats area. Due to the lack of moonlight and reduced visibility, Humber Coastguard also requested the help of Tynemouth Lifeboat, to provide assistance and extra lighting. Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade also searched from the shore.
After the initial search, the search area was expanded and both lifeboats covered the sea between St Mary’s Island and King Edward’s Bay. At 12.55am, all units were stood down with the area covered and nothing found. If anyone has any further information on this incident, please contact Humber Coastguard.
The pagers had sounded when the Cullercoats RNLI volunteer crew were attending a Halloween party, meaning an assortment of supervillains and monsters ran through Cullercoats to the lifeboat station. If you saw zombies, Dennis the Menace and the Mad Hatter sprinting passed your house, you were not dreaming. Headless Helmsman Ben Bradshaw said: ‘It was the scariest bunch of people I’ve ever seen turn up for a shout.’ The crew are used to running out of events. Back in June, Ben’s wedding was interrupted during the speeches when a ‘shout’ occurred.
All of the crew members at Cullercoats are volunteers, as are 95% of the wider RNLI charity. Each crew member carries a pager, which alerts them to a ‘shout,’ and is willing to respond at any hour of the day or night with the sole purpose of saving lives at sea.
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For more information, please contact Anna Heslop, of Cullercoats RNLI, on [email protected].
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