
Pager strikes on crew bowling night!
On Sunday evening, New Brighton RNLI's volunteer crew rushed from their bowling social as their pagers sounded.
The volunteer crew at New Brighton were out on a social evening at a local bowling alley when the pagers sounded and put the games on hold, with a tasking from HM Coastguard to reports of people cut off by the tide on North Bank sandbank.
Duty crew for the evening, who had been mid-game when the tasking came in, rushed from the bowling alley still in their bowling shoes to respond. They all made it to the boathouse safely and were able to trade the bowling shoes for yellow wellies and dry suits before launching to assist.
Whilst the lifeboat crew were launching and making their way to the scene, an off-duty lifeguard had assisted all the people off the North Bank sandbank back to the safety of the shoreline. New Brighton lifeboat crew stood by to check for any other persons/casualties before being stood down by the Coastguard.
The incident was concluded and New Brighton's volunteer crew returned to station to wash down and prepare their Atlantic-85 lifeboat for service once again. Fortunately for them, on their return from the rescue they found that the bowling shoes had been exchanged for their own and they were able to return home in familiar shoes.
Despite the interruption to the evening's games, the remainder of the volunteers from the station were able to continue their bowling and Mark Greensmith, Launch Authority and Tractor Driver, took home the trophy this year.
Tom McGinn, Helm at New Brighton, said:
'There is always the thought in the back of your mind that, when we organise these sort of evenings for the crew, the pager could sound and cut things short! But that's what we all signed up for and if running to the boathouse in bowling shoes is what we need to do to save lives at sea, we'll happily do it!'
Notes to Editors:
New Brighton RNLI was established in 1863 in the bustling seaside resort of New Brighton, on the north east corner of the Wirral peninsula. They cover the River Mersey and out into the Irish Sea. The station is home to a B-class Atlantic 85 lifeboat, one of the fastest in the RNLI fleet. The crews at New Brighton have been presented with a remarkable 48 awards for gallantry to date.
RNLI Media Contacts:
Connor Wray – Lifeboat Press Officer
07756553092
[email protected]
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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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