Lifeboat scrambled to Holy Island after woman suffered suspected stroke while Lindisfarne causeway closed by tide

Lifeboat crews were scrambled twice within 20 minutes to separate incidents in Northumberland.
Onlookers watch as the lifeboat launchesOnlookers watch as the lifeboat launches
Onlookers watch as the lifeboat launches

The first was a call-out to to convey an ambulance crew to Holy Island, where an 85-year-old woman had suffered a possible stroke

A spokesman for Seahouses RNLI said the station’s all-weather lifeboat was scrambled as the causeway was closed by the tide.

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They said: “The ambulance arrived at the boathouse as the crew were assembling. They were taken aboard the lifeboat which launched and made best speed to Holy Island.

The RNLI in actionThe RNLI in action
The RNLI in action

“On arrival, the Holy Island Coastguard Team met the lifeboat and conveyed the ambulance crew to the casualty’s location. Once assessed and as the tide was falling, it was decided to transfer her by road in the Coastguard vehicle with the ambulance crew, to the ambulance at Seahouses, as the casualty’s condition was not as serious as first thought. The Lifeboat was then released and returned to Seahouses.”

The first call came in at 7.40pm on Monday, August 23, and was followed by another at 20.05pm the same night, with the Coastguard requesting the Inshore Lifeboat to assist a 77-year-old woman who had fallen on Annstead Beach, south of Seahouses, and suffered a suspected broken pelvis.

The spokesman said: “Local xoastguard officers were on the scene and requesting pain relief for the casualty. The nearest available ambulance was over 40 minutes away.

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"The Inshore Lifeboat Crew were paged and the lifeboat launched with Entonox (pain-relief gas) and made best speed to the location.

"The crew assisted local Coastguards with the casualty and helped to carry the casualty on a stretcher to the ambulance on its arrival. Lifeboat Shore Crew had also travelled to the scene in the station Landrover with an RNLI basket stretcher in case it was needed. The Inshore Lifeboat and Shore Crew were then released and returned to station.”

About the RNLI

The RNLI is charity which saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts.

The RNLI operates over 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and, in a normal year, more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands.

It is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service.

Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.