3 days ago
Event ends with frantic search for missing child
Welsh RNLI volunteers were called into action after reports that a 12-year-old child had gone missing near the coast. The MAYDAY Picnic funraising event had just finished on Saturday when HM Coastguard tasked the Fishguard crew at 4.07pm.
The child had last been seen on rocks at Cwm-Yr-Eglwys, and there were concerns they may have entered the water. Both the all-weather lifeboat Blue Peter VII and the inshore lifeboat Edward Arthur Richardson were launched and began searching the coastline between Dinas Head and Aberfforest.
Thankfully, the child was found safe and well by police shortly after the search began and both lifeboats were stood down. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
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This was the second launch of the week for Fishguard RNLI and a milestone for volunteer crew members Bryn Smith and Florian Caroff, who each took charge of their first callouts after recently qualifying as inshore lifeboat helms.
Cedwyn Rogers, volunteer press officer and crew member, said: 'A service launch coming at the end of a fundraising event is a real reminder of the dedication of both our sea-going and fundraising volunteers.
'Without the support of the community, we couldn't do what we do.'
The RNLI is reminding the public of its 'Float to Live' advice a simple set of steps that can help save lives in the water.
The RNLI regularly reminds people that heading to the coast or out on the water is a great way to have fun and stay active.
But if you're not careful, it's a lot easier to get into trouble in the water than you might think.
Conditions can change quickly and if you're not prepared, you can easily get caught out.
This is what you should do if you find yourself in trouble:
'Float to Live'
1. Relax and try to breath normally
2. Tilt your head back with ears submerged
3. Move your hands and legs to stay afloat
4. It's okay if your legs sink, we all float differently'
In a coastal emergency, call 999 in the UK or 112 in Ireland and ask for the Coastguard to contact the RNLI.
If you need to contact the RNLI for non-emergency situations, you can call 0300 300 9990 (UK), 01 511 9837 (Ireland), or +44 1202 663234 (from other countries).
