A multi agency rescue was launched when a St Bees RNLI volunteer went to help someone on the beach.

While having breakfast at Hartley Cafe, a St Bees RNLI volunteer and friend he was with spotted someone sitting on the edge of sand and shingle about halfway between the cafe and the lifeboat station.

This looked unusual so they went down to check they were ok. It appeared they had fallen and couldn’t get up.

St Bees Lifeboat Operations Manager, Dick Beddows said: “This was a good example of our volunteers using their training to help the public, on this occasion without launching the lifeboat. It was also a good multi agency operation.”

A member of the public phoned for an ambulance and while the RNLI volunteer dialed 999 and asked the coastguard to put out a lifeboat crew assembly.

Together with the coastguard the casualty was stretchered and took the boathouse where they were met by a team from the North West Ambulance Service.