A new volunteer at Teignmouth Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) experienced his first live shout last night (Wednesday September 24).

Will Annal, who joined Teignmouth Lifeboat Station as a trainee volunteer crew member at the start of the summer, was part of the launch that responded to a call at 5.22pm from Solent Coastguard to a multi-agency incident off Hope’s Nose.

‘Every launch is the result of great teamwork between our crew and partner agencies, and tonight was no exception,’ commented Teignmouth RNLI lifeboat operations manager Andy Lilburn. ‘It was also a proud moment to see one of our trainee crew members respond to their very first shout; an important milestone in their training with the RNLI.’

Since joining, Will has been working hard through his training with the guidance and support of the crew.

‘It was an incredible experience to be part of a real shout for the first time and to witness the teamwork as part of a multi-agency operation,’ Will said. ‘The support from the crew was brilliant and I’m proud to be part of the team.’

Earlier this month, fellow trainee crew member Lee Smith had the opportunity to put his training into action as he responded to his first shout.

Teignmouth lifeboat volunteers carry out around 50 rescues a year.

The crew are all volunteers, headed up by the Lifeboat Operations Manager and Launch Authorities and supported by a shore crew team.

All boat and shore crew follow the RNLI’s national competency-based training scheme and respond to pagers when there is a request to launch the lifeboats. The wider team includes volunteer fundraisers, shop volunteers and water safety volunteers.

Teignmouth RNLI is currently recruiting for community engagement and fundraising volunteers.

‘Every volunteer, no matter their role, are all here with the same aim, to save lives at sea,’ a Teignmouth RNLI spokesperson explained.