
North Berwick RNLI launch to emergency radio call with newly qualified Helm
North Berwick volunteer RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) crew were launched on Saturday 3 December in response to a radio call for help.
At 12.44pm North Berwick volunteer crew were paged to a Pan Pan emergency from kayakers in difficulty. Callum MacLeod passed out as Helm on Thursday and responded for the first time as Helm. He launched with two other crew members and commenced a search at the last reported position.
One of the Kayakers had capsized due to swell and had experienced difficulty getting back in his kayak due to water temperatures. His friend had also capsized whilst assisting and they had issues a Pan Pan emergency via the hand-held VHF radio they were carrying. At this time, they had not felt it necessary to activate their emergency personal location beacons (PLBs).
The kayakers made their way back to shore but experienced issues with their hand-held radio. They then attended at the lifeboat station where they were checked out by other volunteer crew members, who had also responded to the pager. They were treated for cold and were assisted with their kayaks and equipment.
Callum Macleod (Helm) said “Even well-equipped water users can get into difficulty and we would encourage the use of the PLB's as this gives the coastguard an exact position to pass to the lifeboat crew allowing us to attend in the correct area very quickly.”
Callum joined North Berwick Lifeboat crew in 2003 while at North Berwick High School. He left in 2005 to join the Army. On leaving Army in 2012 he went to University in Aberdeen where he volunteered with Aberdeen Lifeboat Crew for 3 years. Then he moved to London and volunteered with Chiswick Lifeboat Crew on the Thames for 4 years. He returned to North Berwick late in 2020 where he immediately re-joined the crew and has worked hard to complete his training and pass out as a Helm.
Ricky Martin the LOM (Lifeboat operations manager) said “We were delighted to have Callum back. He brings experience and enthusiasm to North Berwick Lifeboat Crew. We are all delighted with his latest achievement of passing out as Helm”
In any coastal emergency dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
Notes to editors
· North Berwick lifeboat station has been operating since 1860. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: [www.rnli.org/northberwick]
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Rhona Meikle, North Berwick Lifeboat Press Officer, 07767 251023,
Natasha Bennett, RNLI Regional Media Officer for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]
Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Media Manager for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]
RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789
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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 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 142,700 lives.
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, Twitter 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.