RNLI Mablethorpe lifeguards save 13-year-old girl

Dedicated lifeguard Lois Kemp visited Mablethorpe beach yesterday to undertake some more training with her fellow lifeguard Liam Sumner. A strong wind brought along a series of large waves, making the training as challenging as possible.

At around 1:25pm, lifeguard Ethan Scott alerted the duo of two people struggling in the water. Despite being off-duty, Lois rushed into the water alongside Liam – both carrying rescue tubes.

Around 20m from the shoreline, a young girl was struggling against the strong waves; her mother swam next to her trying to support her daughter, who was quickly going under.

The RNLI Mablethorpe team clipped the two rescue tubes around the 13-year-old girl to keep her afloat among the rough waves. Clearly in shock and crying, the young girl clung to Lois who swum with her back to shore where she was reunited with her mother.

At the shoreline, Ethan was waiting on the quad bike with a responder bag. The mother declined medical care and was more concerned for her daughter, who immediately received medical attention. The teenager was administered oxygen until the East Midlands Ambulance Service arrived to take over the medical care.

RNLI Lead Lifeguard Supervisor Arun Gray applauded the family for visiting a lifeguarded beach: ‘The mother and daughter sensibly chose to visit a lifeguarded beach.

'As soon as the young girl got into difficulty, our team were immediately on hand as the duo were swimming between the red and yellow flags.

'If you plan to visit a beach this summer, make sure you choose a lifeguarded one and always swim between the red and yellow flags.'

For more information please visit:

https://rnli.org/safety/beach-safety

Notes to editors

RNLI Mablethorpe lifeguard service has been operating since 2001. To learn more about the lifeguarded beach go to: Mablethorpe Beach - Lifeguarded beaches (rnli.org)

Lead Lifeguard Supervisor Arun Gray is available for interview.

Photo Credit

RNLI/Derry Salter

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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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