St Bees RNLI called out to a Paraglider

St Bees lifeboat ‘Joy Morris MBE’ was launched at 2:00pm on Sunday 22 April after a member of the public had informed the UK Coastguard that a paraglider had landed in the sea near Parton.

The lifeboat arrived quickly at the scene, where it was confirmed that the paraglider was in fact a kite surfer who did not require assistance. The RNLI volunteers carried out a search of the area, along with Whitehaven Coastguard, to ensure it was the kite surfer that had been seen and with nothing found they were stood down. This was a false alarm with good intent.

Dick Beddows, St Bees RNLI Operations Manager said ‘I would like to thank the vigilant member of public who saw what they thought was a genuine emergency and did the right thing by calling 999 and asking for the Coastguard. It is always better to be safe than sorry in these situations’

For more information please telephone Colin Wadey, St Bees RNLI Volunteer Press Officer on 07742207222 email [email protected]

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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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