FromFarleFt
Gemmatakesa
well-earnedbreak
duringanintensive
trainingexercise.
Gemmaandcrew
leaveAberystwyth
harbourona rescue
callout.BELOWThe
RNLI’sFloodRescue
Team,madeupof
volunteersfrom
acrossthecountry
and all walks of life❝Saving people’s lives
with the RNLI ishugely rewardingFeatUreJanetMcMeekinPHotoGraPHSeleri roberts,Phil griffith, Mark barkerSailinghasalwaysbeeninmy
blood.i wasbornintheseaside
townofnorthberwick,scotland.
Myparentswerekeensailorsand,
wheni wasa baby,they’dpopme
safelyina basketontheirboat,
beforeheadingouttosea.i loved
thefeelingofwindinmyfaceand
beingoutinthefreshair.aged16,
i crewedonthetallshipsandhave
fantasticmemoriesofsailing around
theUkandeurope.
Icanbehelminga lifeboatwith
a helicopterhoveringoverhead
whilea casualtyis pulledtosafety
inchoppyseas.i joinedtheroyal
nationallifeboatinstitutionwhen
i wenttoaberystwythUniversity,as
i’dalwaysbeenpassionateabout
thecharity’swork.i discoveredthe
trainingwasexceptional.after
qualifyingasa crewmember,i learnt
tohelmthelifeboatand,later,drive
thelifeboattractor.aftergraduating,
istayedinaberystwythfor 18 years,
jugglingmyrnlidutieswithjobs in
teachingandsocialservices.
IlovethediversityoftherNlI.
Volunteerscomefromallwalksof
life,includingmechanics,farmers,
accountantsandparamedics.they
are all different genders andnationalities.Wearelikethelargest
familyintheUk,workingclosely
togetherandrelyingoneachother.
thereis a hugebondof trust
betweenvolunteers.
themomentthepagerbeepsis
alwaysanadrenalinerush.friends
andcolleaguessoongotusedto
medisappearingerraticallyduring
meetingsandmealsout.i’ve
attendedmanymemorable,often
dangerous,calls.twoofthose
featuredonSavingLivesatSea–
a bbcseriesaboutrnlirescues.
oneverydark,stormynightin
2009,I arrivedataberystwyth
lifeboatstationtohearterrible
screaming.it turnedoutthata
manhadbeenwashedoffthe
harbourwall,wherehugewaves
werebreaking.theseawasreally
roughand,beforethelifeboatwent
out,wewerebriefedaboutwhatto
doif thevesselcapsized.thankfully,
minuteslater,thepoliceinformedus
thatthemanhadbeenwashedup
insidetheharbourandwasalive.
It’sveryspecialtomeetthosewho
wouldn’thavesurvivedif we
hadn’trescuedthem.ifindit so
humblingwhentheyshakemyhand,
or introduce me to their children.today,I operateboatsinrivers,
encounteringhazardsfromcars
tolampposts,binstobarbedwire,
andeventheodddeadsheep.it’s
partofmyworkforthernli’sflood
rescueteam,whichi wasaskedto
joinin2015.ourroleis tohelpcarry
outsearchandrescueoperationsin
theUk,whereversevereflooding
putslivesatrisk.Peoplearenormally
frightenedandupsetaboutleaving
theirhomesandbelongings,
particularlycherishedfamily
photographs.however,withwater
levelsrising,it’sourjobtoevacuate
theoccupantssafelyandswiftly.a
coupleofcall-outshaveoccurred
duringthefestiveseasonandto
seechristmastreesfloating
inpeople’smurky,waterlogged
livingroomsis heartbreaking.
lastyear,I becameoneofonly
14 full-timelifeboattrainersin
thecountry.i'mbasedatthernli
headquartersinPoole,Dorset,and
myroleinvolvestraininglifeboat
crewvolunteers.i findit a privilege
tosupportthenewgeneration
comingthrough.it’s like no other
jobintheworld.
Feelinginspiredtobecomea volunteer
for the rNlI? Visit rnli.org/volunteerSailinghaslongbeenGemmaGill’spassion,butit’sheryearsspentvolunteeringwith the
RNLI that gives her true satisfaction❝local Hero