A tractor driver at a Norfolk lifeboat station had a special card waiting for her on Mother's Day - from a daughter who has followed her into the crew.
Louise Kyle was a shy 17-year-old when she first came down to the boathouse at Hunstanton after her mum Clare got paged on a 'shout'.
Five years later, she crews on board Hunstanton's fast inshore lifeboat Spirit of West Norfolk and is also part of the station's essential shore crew.
Louise, now 22, said she was inspired to join the RNLI after seeing her mother and fellow volunteers in action.
'I was in the car with Mum and her pager went off,' she said. 'We were already in Hunstanton, Mum said do you mind coming with me so I can head straight down there and I said: 'Yes, sure.
'It was really cold as well, I remember I was freezing my butt off, so some of the guys gave me a coat and some wellies to wear while I was waiting.
'I saw what they were doing and thought I could do that as well. So I became shore crew to help Mum, so she'd have some more eyes on the beach when she was driving the tractor.
'Then someone said: 'Do you want to have a go on the boat to see how you get on?
'I reckon me and Mum must be the first mother and daughter in the crew here.'
Clare, who is also one of the station's head launchers, said: 'She's gone from someone who wouldn't say boo to a goose to going out on the lifeboat, full of confidence.
'I'm major proud of her - they all are down here.'
Clare and Louise aren't the only Kyles who have been involved at the station, which nestles behind the sand dunes on Old Hunstanton Beach.
Louise's older sister Elise also served a stint as a volunteer, while Pip, the family's Patterdale terrier has done his bit by completing the Mayday Mile fundraising challenge for the charity that saves lives at sea.
And Clare and Louise aren't the only mother and daughter at Sea Lane either. For Kate Craven, the station's visits and water safety lead and her mum Joy, who works in the station's souvenir shop also volunteer.
The Hunstanton crew also has two fathers and their sons among its ranks.
Notes to editors
For many of the RNLI's 8,000 volunteers, being ‘a mum on call’ means juggling family life with the commitment to be ready to help others in danger at sea at any hour of the day or night.
Volunteers at Hunstanton RNLI operate both the inshore lifeboat Spirit of West Norfolk and search and rescue hovercraft
Hunstanton Flyer from their base on Sea Lane.
They cover The Wash, a coastal estuary of more than 200 square miles fed by four main rivers along with parts of the North Norfolk coast.
Crew members at the busy station are on call 24/7, 365 days a year; while their work is supported by its visits, shop and outreach teams, along with the Hunstanton and West Norfolk RNLI Lifeboat Guild which raises funds for the charity that saves lives at sea.
RNLI media contacts
For more information call Chris Bishop, Hunstanton RNLI volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer on 07584 147219, Clare Hopps, RNLI Regional Communications Manager, North and East on 07824 518641, or the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, TikTok 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.
