Rhyl RNLI volunteers called out despite Covid-19 lockdown.

The latest alert came at 4.10 pm on Thursday 21 May, after the UK coastguard at Holyhead were contacted regarding a person swimming fully-clothed in the sea, off Pensarn, Abergele. The D-class inshore lifeboat launched first, closely followed by the all-weather Shannon-class lifeboat. Also tasked were Rhyl coastguard volunteer team.
The charity's lifeboats arrived on scene to find a person in the water about 300 metres from the shoreline, swimming with difficulty, and appeared to be in an agitated state. The casualty did not wish to get on board the inshore lifeboat, and so both lifeboats stood by a short distance away.
By constantly engaging the casualty in reassuring conversation, the person was shepherded back to the shore by the crew in the inshore lifeboat, until the person was able to wade back on to the beach of their own accord, to the waiting coastguard team.
The crew engaged in social distancing as far as they were able, and were glad to assist the person back to the shore. In these challenging times when stress levels are higher than normal, the crews did their best to ensure a successful outcome for the casualty.
Once the person was seen to be safe ashore, the lifeboats returned to station by 6.42 pm.
Even during difficult times, the RNLI will answer every call to assist people who appear to be in trouble at sea , without question and helping to save lives at sea.

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.