Newquay RNLI volunteers assist injured woman trapped on rocks
Both of Newquay’s RNLI lifeboats responded to assist an injured woman who had fallen on rocks and was trapped by the tide at Mawgan Porth on Friday (4 January). Working alongside Coastguard crews, the RNLI volunteers took the woman off the rocks to safety before she was airlifted to hospital.
Newquay RNLI lifeboat crew were called-out at 2.37pm on Friday and launched both the charity’s inshore lifeboats, to assist the injured woman who was trapped on rocks at the northern edge of Mawgan Porth beach.
Four RNLI volunteers, including two paramedics from the lifeboat crew, went ashore in calm seas and light south-easterly winds on the D class inshore lifeboat to where the woman had fallen and was being helped by a member of Newquay Coastguard team.
Due to the position of the woman near cliffs at high tide, the crew of the Coastguard search & rescue helicopter asked the lifeboat crew to evacuate her to a more accessible location, so the RNLI volunteers moved her on a stretcher onto the lifeboat, which they then walked through chest-deep water around to the safety of the main beach at Mawgan Porth, from where the injured woman was airlifted by the helicopter crew to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.
The lifeboat crew returned the scene to recover the woman's partner and the coastguard volunteer back to the main beach, before returning to Newquay Harbour around one hour after the initial alert.
RNLI deputy launching authority, Phil Morris said: ‘This was the first call of 2019 for Newquay lifeboat crew. Our RNLI volunteers were pleased to be able to help alongside the other emergency services and we send the woman our best wishes for a speedy recovery’.
Notes to editors
- Please find attached, library picture of Newquay RNLI D class inshore lifeboat, which was involved in today’s rescue. Credit: John Baldry.
RNLI media contacts
For more information, please contact Andy Hobkinson, Newquay RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer at [email protected] or 07880 507464, or Emma Haines, Regional Media Officer (South) at [email protected] or 07786 668847. Alternatively, the RNLI Press Office is available on 01202 336789.
RNLI online
For more information on the RNLI please visit www.rnli.org.uk. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI Press Centre www.rnli.org.uk/press
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 over 230 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and has more than 180 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK. 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 140,000 lives.
A charity registered in England and Wales (209603) and Scotland (SCO37736). Charity number CHY 2678 in the Republic of Ireland
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
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.