Coastguard's praise for young helper who supported crew on call-out

Howick Coastguard Rescue Team were paged by Humber Coastguard shortly after 10am on Monday, December 30 to investigate a report of a porpoise washed up near Howdiemont Sands, Longhoughton.

The team began a search of the area – and were helped in their efforts by young Ru, six, who is the son of one of the team’s members.

Ru stopped the crew to say he knew where the porpoise was and led them to the deceased animal, saving precious time in their search.

In a post on Facebook, the team thanked the youngster for his support, and said: “Ru was a great help to us today in enabling us to find the porpoise and helped us to become available for other calls so much quicker than we would have been if we had needed to search the whole area.

“Ru stepped into his dad’s shoes today and was an asset to the team. I’m sure his dad will be very proud.”

Howick 05 Tim Marley, Ru’s dad, is currently in the Falkland Islands on a four-month deployment as a serving member of the RAF.

The crew’s statement added: “Once all the details of the porpoise had been recorded and passed to Humber the team returned to station and ensured the vehicle was made ready for the next shout.”