A woman has been taken to hospital after suffering a medical emergency on Caldey Island, near Tenby, on Friday afternoon.
The incident was reported at approximately 4.30pm on Friday, July 31, and prompted a major response from HM Coastguard and the RNLI.
Coastguard personnel at the scene requested backup, and two Tenby RNLI lifeboats were launched. The inshore lifeboat set off first to provide initial casualty care, while the all-weather lifeboat remained at the lifeboat station to collect a Welsh Ambulance Service paramedic.
Rescue on Priory Bay
Tenby Lifeboats RNLI described the moments after the crews reached the island. "The volunteer crew quickly located the woman on the beach at Priory Bay, and several crew members went ashore to assess her condition," the charity said in a Facebook post.
The all-weather lifeboat then arrived on scene carrying the paramedic and several members of Tenby Coastguard rescue team, who were tasked with setting up a landing site for a Coastguard helicopter that was also en route from Cardiff.
"The paramedic, more lifeboat crew and the coastguard were conveyed ashore, with the paramedic taking over treatment, assisted by the lifeboat crew," the post added.
Helicopter Flight to Cardiff
After the helicopter touched down, the woman was prepared for the journey. "The casualty was immobilised, placed onto a stretcher, and loaded into the aircraft, where the coastguard paramedic took over treatment during the flight to the hospital in Cardiff," Tenby Lifeboats RNLI said.
With the casualty en route to hospital, the coastguard team and the ambulance paramedic were transported back aboard the lifeboat before it returned to Tenby.
Caldey Island
Caldey Island sits less than a mile off the Pembrokeshire coast, around 20 minutes by boat from Tenby. It has been home to a monastic community since Benedictine monks founded a priory after the Norman conquest, and today is operated by a Cistercian order.
The island attracts visitors to its village, ancient priory, historic church and chocolate factory, as well as its wildlife-rich walking routes.
