WHILE celebrating the 200th anniversary of the RNLI, volunteer crews from Rhyl were called to two separate shouts, and two more the following day.

On Thursday (August 1), a call came in from HM Coastguard to assist a number of people becoming trapped on a rapidly disappearing sandbank at Rhyl Beach.

A crew was quickly assembled and the inshore lifeboat was taken across a deep gully by the station’s county tractor, and five people were safely taken ashore.

Approximately an hour later, the crews were again tasked by HM Coastguard to assist five people trapped on another sandbank a few hundred metres away.

All casualties were safely returned to the shore by the inshore lifeboat and county tractor.

On the afternoon of August 2, Holyhead Coastguard received a number of 999 calls by concerned members of the public who had witnessed two people in a kayak appearing to struggle with a strong offshore wind.

The volunteer inshore lifeboat crew responded, and maintaining constant visual contact, met up with the kayakers off of Splash Point, who had managed to paddle closer to shore by this point.

The final shout was received at 7.12pm on August 2, when a member of the public had encountered difficulty whilst swimming.

Both the all-weather and inshore lifeboats were paged, the inshore launching at 7.24pm and the all-weather lifeboat being stood down shortly due to the casualty’s proximity to the shore.

Friends and members of the public managed to bring the casualty to shore where they were tended to by an off-duty nurse.

Rhyl RNLI coxswain, Martin Jones said: “It has been busy day for our volunteers in Rhyl, and with the summer season being in full swing we would just like to remind people to stay aware when by the sea.

“Always check the tide times and weather conditions, let someone know where you are going and when you intend to return if you can’t go with company and always have a method of contacting help.

“Friday’s call demonstrates the effectiveness and skill of all agencies involved, I am very grateful for the fantastic cooperation and professionalism of everyone who was involved, leading to a successful rescue.”