Open Day 2010! - Called to Rescue Sinking Speedboat - Medical Simulation Exercise - Family of 9 Rescued from Mud - Classic Car Rally - a date for your diary! - Join our Operational Rescue Team! - Photograph Competition Winner - Lifeboat Launches on your Mobile!

Beached Atlantic

14h June 2010

Late on Wednesday night, the Atlantic 75 was beached in Weston Bay, following the recovery of a casualty from the water. Read more in our shouts section...

Open Day - Sat 7th Aug 2010

Called to rescue sinking speedboat

20th June 2010

On Sunday Weston-super-Mare RNLI lifeboat crews were called from their Father's Day celebrations by the volunteers at RNLI Anchor Head shop to rescue three men from a sinking speedboat.

Swansea Coastguard contacted the Weston-super-Mare RNLI Lifeboat Launching Authorities at 1557 on Sunday 20th August because helpers in the RNLI shop at Anchor Head had reported that a white speedboat appeared in difficulties in Weston Bay. The crews responded to their pagers and the D Class inshore lifeboat "Anna Stock" was launched within eight minutes and proceeded at best speed to investigate.

On arrival at the scene they found a 17 foot long white speedboat leaking badly and having no engine power, they immediately transferred the three men from the speedboat to the lifeboat for their own safety.

The lifeboat then rigged a tow onto the speedboat with a view to bringing it back to shore. However as they proceeded towards Knightstone Harbour it became clear the vessel was leaking badly and it subsequently sank. The survivors were brought back to the lifeboat station on Birnbeck Island and lifeboat readied for further service.

Just after the crew had left Birnbeck Island the Lifeboat Operations Manager, Pete Holder, noticed something floating in the water about one mile from the station. On closer examination with binoculars it was apparent that the object was the bows of the speedboat which were now sticking out of the water. It was decided that the wreck posed a hazard to other craft and thus had to be recovered. The crew were recalled and the larger Atlantic 75 Lifeboat "Coventry and Warwickshire was launched. The lifeboat located the casualty vessel and the crew were successful in securing a line to the bow and managed to drag it to the surface. Water was then bailed out before the boat was towed back to station. Once back at Birnbeck Island the speedboat was floated onto the lifeboat carriage, towed up the launching ramp and unloaded onto the area outside of the RNLI compound.

Lifeboat Operations Manager Pete Holder then contacted the owners to advise their vessel had been successfully recovered to a place of safety on Birnbeck Island and arrangements were made to return the vessel to them later this week.

Mr Holder then said; "It is strongly recommended that anyone going afloat should be suitably equipped in case of an emergency. Equipment carried should include Distress Flares, Lifejackets for everyone on board, a means of communicating with the Coastguard and/or someone ashore, preferably a Marine VHF Transceiver (Remember Mobile Phones are not monitored by the Coastguard), Anchor and Oars if appropriate. Further Advice can be had by contacting Weston RNLI Sea Safety Advisor on 07779 021554 or via our Website: www.westonrnli.org.uk Please remember to enjoy your visit to the coast and stay safe, if in doubt seek local advice before going afloat."

Crew on Medical Exercise

6th June 2010

Some of our crew recently took part in a medical simulation exercise. They were called to a situation where someone had fallen off the sea wall, to rocks below, and two of the casualty's friends had gone to help him. When the crew arrived they found that not only was the faller in need of urgent medical care but also his two friends needed help too.

In all the crew had to deal with two open leg fractures, a serious head and spine injury, a broken arm and a diabetic patient. The team worked efficiently and did a great job of bringing the situation under control, summoning the correct additional medical assistance and made sure all casualties were given the best chance possible of recovery.

Family of 9 Rescued from Mud

31st May 2010

On Monday both Weston-super-Mare RNLI lifeboats plus the RAF helicopter Rescue 169 were called to rescue nine family members trapped by the mud at the entrance to the River Axe.

The children, one of whom was only an infant, were suffering greatly from exhaustion so the lifeboat beached itself alongside them and the crew assisted the worst affected casualties on board.

Read of the rest of the report here...

Classic Car Enthusiasts... a date for your diary!

Held on the Beach Lawns during August, the RNLI Classic Car Rally regularly attracts some beautiful Classic Cars and Motorbikes, and raises essential funds.

This years classic car rally will take place on Sunday 19th September 2010 between 10am - 4pm, on the Beach Lawns, Weston-super-Mare.

No advance bookings will be taken this year - just turn up on the day! The first 250 cars to arrive will receive a brass momento.

Traders pitches £10, please turn up before 10am to secure a location.

Join our Operational rescue team

Imagine for a moment that you have gone out for the evening for a meal with your best friends at your favourite pub / restaurant. The waiter has just put your meal down in front of you and you have just taken the first bite of what promises to be a fantastic meal. Your pager goes off. You have to put down your knife and fork, forego your meal and time out with your mates and immediately head down to the lifeboat station to launch the lifeboat. A sailing vessel is in difficulties 3 miles out at sea!

And you still want to volunteer for this? Read More....

The RNLI winner of its Photographer of the Year Competition

A local photograph steals the top spot!

8th January 2010

The lifesaving work of the RNLI's volunteer crew has been captured by the winner of the charity's annual Photographer of the Year competition, announced today (8 Jan 2010) at the Prebon Tullet London International Boat Show.

Howard Evans, an RNLI fundraiser from Western-super-Mare, won first prize for his picture of local crew launching a D class inshore lifeboat through surf. Howard said: 'I was surprised when I was told I'd been shortlisted as I didn't know I'd been entered into the competition in the first place, but I was very pleased to win.' Howard has been helping his wife Marion fundraise for the charity that saves lives at sea for the last five years. He took the pictures on an open day at the Weston-super-Mare station. He said: 'It was quite gusty and showery at times - a normal summer's day. The crew were launching the boat in difficult conditions and I just caught them at the right moment. They did all the work really.'

Pete Holder, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Weston-super-Mare RNLI lifeboat station entered a selection of Howard's pictures into the competition. He said: 'I looked at them and thought, blimey, they're nice pictures. The more I looked at them the more I thought that these were real action shots, not posed. The volunteer crew here at Weston face those kind of conditions quite often. The shallow water and breaking waves are typical here and the photo really captures what we do.'

Martin Fear, the crew member pictured in the water, said: 'I remember the day it was taken; we were doing a rescue demo on our open day and I was helping to launch the boat back to sea. It was quite rough. One minute I was waist deep in water and then the next set of waves would go over my head, so once the boat was pointing in the right direction I jumped back in pretty quickly.'

Martin said the rest of the volunteers at the station were impressed with the picture. He said: 'It's a good photo and the guys like it. I think it shows that lifeboats aren't all about big boats. It's about smaller boats that can be used inshore, and of course it's about the volunteer crew who use them.'

Eleanor Driscoll, RNLI Film and Image Manager, and head judge of the competition said: "The standard was very high this yeat, but Howard's picture stood out because it illustrates perfectly the challenging conditions our volunteer crews have to deal with, as well as the team work that is needed not only to launch a lifeboat, but to save lives at sea on a daily basis.

The competition aims to find pictures that reflect the lifesaving work of the RNLI. Volunteers and crew send in pictures to compete in four categories; rescues, people, fleet and landscapes. The overall winner is picked from the winners of each category.

Lifeboat Launches on your Mobile!

RNLI supporters in the UK can now stay connected with lifeboat launches on their mobile phones.

Choose your favourite stations and receive an SMS message once the lifeboat has launched on emergency service.

You choose how much you'd like to pay for each message received. A portion of the fee will come to the RNLI, so not only are you kept in the know, you are also contributing to the real cost of the lifeboat launch. The amount donated depends on your mobile operator.

Our SMS alerts are triggered by the crew pager system, so when they get the call, you do too. However, unlike our volunteer crews, you can choose what time of day you'd like to receive alerts and set a limit on how many messages you receive. You can also pause the service for a while, for example if you're going abroad on holiday.

SMS Alerts

Keep informed by mobile phone of the latest lifeboat launches.
Choose which stations you would like to follow.
Choose how much you would like to be charged for each notification message received and choose a maximum amount you would like to spend each week.

Sign Up HERE! Frequently Asked Questions Terms and Conditions