RNLI crews called out four times along the Tyneside coast over the Bank Holiday weekend

Crews from Tynemouth RNLI had a busy Bank Holiday weekend as they were called to incidents on the River Tyne and along the North and South Tyneside coast.

The first launch came just before 5pm on Saturday, August 23, when the inshore lifeboat was tasted to assist a broken down boat in the middle of the River Tyne.

The stranded vessel was created a hazard to shipping so it was taken under tow back to Royal Quays Marina with the assistance of the Northumbria Police rib.

The second call came at 4.34pm on Sunday, August 24, when the lifeboat was launched to support the search for a missing person in the South Shields area.

Just as the crew passed the South Pier, a call came through to volunteers that the person had been located safe and well.

Crews took part in a third launch just after 5pm on Monday, August 25, following reports of a swimmer in difficulty at King Edward’s Bay.

The lifeboat made its way to the scene and located the swimmer with help from the Tyne & Wear RNLI lifeguards.

The swimmer was found to not require any assistance but was shadowed back to the beach, where the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade provided safety advice.

Then the final launch came less than an hour later on Monday, just as the crew were washing down the boat from the previous callout.

The inshore lifeboat was tasked to search for a missing person who had not been seen for over two hours.

Crews conducted a shoreline search along the north of the River Tyne with support from Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade.

Volunteers spotted a man matching the description at Fish Quay Sands - it was confirmed that he was the missing person and was reunited with his friends by Northumbria Police and the Coastguard Rescue teams.

Speaking about the busy weekend, James Waters, Volunteer Helm, said: “Over the Bank Holiday weekend our volunteer crews launched four times to a wide range of incidents.

“Our crews train for all eventualities, so for incidents to finish with two people and one boat assisted is a great outcome"

Sheridan Bowler, Lifeboat Operations Manager, has praised the efforts from Tynemouth RNLI volunteers over the three-day weekend.

She commented: "We are grateful for the dedication of our volunteers over the bank holiday to ensure we can still provide a life saving service.

“Family plans can get changed or cancelled at a moments notice when the pager goes, so to have four positive outcomes makes it worthwhile.”

Tynemouth RNLI is also recruiting for two key volunteer roles, an Administration Officer and a Launch Authority.

Both roles are essential to the smooth running of the lifeboat station and the lifesaving service that it provides.

More information about the roles can be found at: https://volunteering.rnli.org/vacancy/lifeboat-administrative-officer-tynemouth-594185.html and https://volunteering.rnli.org/vacancy/launch-authority-tynemouth-594184.html.