Lymington RNLI families set their safety message in stone
PEBBLES decorated by families of Lymington’s RNLI lifeboat crew have been hidden around the town to promote a new safety campaign.
In an creative new way to encourage people to label their watercraft kit, stones have been scattered around the community painted with the image of a crew member as well as seagulls, the RNLI emblem, hearts, and a seaside scene complete with lighthouse and anchor.
Lydia O’Riordan’s husband Declan is the RNLI volunteer who has been painted on a rock – complete with full uniform, beard and helmet.
She recalled an incident in which unidentified equipment was found, saying: “My husband Declan was involved in the six-hour search for a kite surfer in March last year.
“If their details were to be found somewhere on the kite, a simple phone call would have confirmed their safety and swiftly ended the search.
“We’re very proud of all our crew and what they do, but we’d rather they weren’t doing a search for someone who’s already made it safely ashore, and this is a simple way to help avoid that from happening.”
Mrs O’Riordan also said that the project had been something fun for the families to get involved in during the pandemic, especially for children of the crew.
Anyone who finds a stone is asked to take a photo of it and put it on social media tagging RNLI Lymington in it.
The search for the surfer featured on the TV series Saving Lives, as reported in the A&T.
The RNLI had received multiple calls about the person being in difficulty in the sea and a full search was launched.
A kite rig was eventually recovered but the surfer was not with it. Fourteen RNLI volunteers continued searching for the man who was discovered to have made it to shore safely but only after appeals were made to find him.
The incident highlighted the need for the name and contact details to be added to equipment.
Lymington RNLI has now started a campaign for water users to use labels which can be ordered free from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
New Forest Paddle Sports, in Milford, are also now handing out a sticker with every board they sell and will be providing stickers to watercraft users when their shop reopens.
