St Bees RNLI launched to drifting inflatable.

St Bees RNLI volunteers were paged by Belfast Coastguard early on the afternoon of 23 July after a member of the public reported that three young children were drifting in a small inflatable about two hundred metres off the beach at Seascale.

The St Bees volunteers made their way to Seascale and quickly located the children on their small inflatable toy. As the lifeboat arrived the children were seen making their way to the shore where members of Whitehaven Coastguard as well as their parents met them. After confirming that the children were safe and did not need immediate medical attention the lifeboat crew retuned to a busy St Bees beach.

St Bees RNLI Operations Manager Dick Beddows said. ‘At the start of the school holidays with the sun shining the beach is a great place to be, but do be careful. An adult should accompany very young children at all times. Please make sure your inflatable is suitable to take in the water and if possible try and tie it to a fixed object as rip tides and currents or even a sudden gust of wind could ruin a great day out’

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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