Whitsand Bay RNLI lifeguards close to fundraising goal after 8.5 mile paddle

RNLI lifeguards Jake Marshall, Sophie Conway, Emily Wills, Becca Annells, Joseff Saunders, Louis Seedhouse and Thomas Joutsikoski completed the paddle from Tregantle beach in Whitsand Bay to Looe on rescue boards in record time. Using only their arms, the team of lifeguards paddled the 8.5 miles in 3 hours 45 minutes and were escorted into the harbour by Looe’s RNLI inshore lifeboat (ILB).

So far, the team have raised just under £800, around £100 away from their target of £900. This amount covers the cost of a new rescue board for the Whitsand Bay RNLI lifeguard team. The rescue board is an essential piece of equipment for all RNLI lifeguards and is used to complete the majority of their rescues.

Jake Marshall, RNLI lifeguard supervisor for the area and part of the paddle team, said:

‘The team put in a lot of time and effort not only fundraising but also training for this event. Although the weather conditions weren’t ideal for us, we completed the paddle in a fantastic time and we finished together as a team which was something that was really important to us all.

Thank you to Looe lifeboat station who put on a lovely welcome for us after we’d finished the paddle and for launching their ILB to escort us into the harbour. Thank you also to everyone who has donated their time or money as the rescue boards really are integral pieces of kit for us.’

To donate, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jake-marshallrnli

Notes to Editor

• Photo credit: Ian Foster
• RNLI lifeguards patrol over 249 beaches around the UK and Channel Islands

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