Volunteers spring into action during honours evening

LIFE-SAVING volunteers were called to action during a special presentation evening to honour their efforts earlier this month.

- JAMES ARNOTT

The pagers sounded as RNLI volunteers from Burry Port Lifeboat Station were being honoured with the Freedom of the Town of Burry Port at a reception hosted by Pembrey and Burry Port Town Council.

Following the official presentation of the framed scrolls at around 8pm on Friday, April 4, as Burry Port lifeboat operations manager Roger Bowen was closing the formal proceedings of the evening, a room full of pagers sounded requesting the immediate launch of the station's D-class lifeboat.

All of the crew on call that evening immediately got up from their seats and headed for the lifeboat station following reports of two persons cut off on a sandbank with an incoming spring tide in the area of Llanelli Beach.

Later on at 9.40pm, the volunteer crew arrived back at the reception reporting that thankfully both persons had been located and were now safe and well ashore.

Mr Bowen said: "Our volunteer crew being called out during this evening proves how they will literally drop anything at a moment's notice to go and save lives at sea.

"Although the lifeboat was stood down as the two persons were safely located, Burry Port Lifeboat Station and our volunteers remain on call 24/7, ready to respond to emergencies at sea along our coastline.