St Bees RNLI in cliff rescue

The volunteers St Bees RNLI were paged at 1:30am on Sunday 23 June to investigate reports of a male shouting for help at the bottom of the cliffs between St Bees and Whitehaven.

St Bees RNLI were requested by Belfast Coastguard to launch after Cumbria Police heard a male calling for help. The RNLI volunteers carried out a shoreline search while Cumbria Police and Whitehaven Coastguard searched along the top of the cliffs.

No more cries for help were heard so two of the RNLI crew members went ashore for a closer search and the lifeboat continued searching close to the shore. The remaining crew members on board the lifeboat then heard more shouts and quickly located the casualty. The injured male was taken on board the lifeboat and was taken to Whitehaven Harbour where they were transferred to a waiting ambulance.

Dick Beddows St Bees RNLI Operations Manager said “This was a good multi agency operation which led to us locating and safely transferring the injured male to the waiting ambulance”.

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

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.