A child was rescued from the sea at Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, by Cullercoats lifeboat after a member of the public raised the alarm. The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon when Nadia Benstead, who had been volunteering at Cullercoats Harbour Day, spotted the child entering the water.
Quick Response Saves Child
Nadia Benstead immediately called 999 and asked for the coastguard. The Coastguard dispatched the lifeboat to the south end of the beach. The crew arrived within minutes and located the child approximately 50 metres from the shore. The child was taken onboard the lifeboat and transported to Cullercoats lifeboat station.
At the station, the child was cared for by the ambulance service and reunited with their worried parents. Nadia, who had been volunteering at the harbour day, said: "We were walking along the promenade for fish and chips and saw the child enter the water. I knew something wasn't right so called 999 and asked for the coastguard. The lifeboat arrived very quickly. I'm so pleased I knew what to do as a result of my exposure to the RNLI over the years."
Helm's Quick Thinking Praised
Cullercoats RNLI volunteer crew member Anna Heslop-Latif served as lifeboat helm for the rescue. She said: "My heart skipped a beat when I heard what the call was for. I knew time was of the essence and luckily, we were still on station, cleaning up after our fundraising day. Our team at Cullercoats jumped into action to launch the boat within a minute."
Anna added that by coincidence, her best friend Nadia made the 999 call. Anna said she had no doubt that Nadia's quick thinking and the actions of the lifeboat crew saved the child's life. She said: "I am so proud of the whole team and grateful to our local community who support us and make rescues like this possible."
