Kitesurfer inspired to join RNLI after rescue urges others to volunteer with the charity

Kitesurfer rescued by RNLI joins crew © RNLI

A lifesaver with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) who was inspired to join the crew after being rescued while kitesurfing, is encouraging others to explore volunteering opportunities with the lifesaving charity.

Karen Whitton, 40, was rescued by Shoreham Harbour RNLI volunteers in June last year when her kite plunged into the water a quarter of a mile offshore.

Watch the footage of Karen's rescue

Inspired by the volunteers who launched to her rescue, Karen visited Shoreham Harbour Lifeboat Station, West Sussex, during one of their open days and in February this year, joined as a shore crew volunteer.

This Volunteers Week, 2-8 June, Karen is urging people to find a volunteering role with the organisation.

She said: 'There were seven of us kiting that day. My partner is an instructor and with the forecast showing a lovely day, my friend was going to be having a beginner lesson.

'The weather turned out very different from the forecast. I went out a little further, but as soon as I got out my kite fell out of the sky.

'I couldn't get my kite back up and it turned to an offshore wind quite suddenly. There was also an outgoing tide, so I was drifting further away from the beach.'

Karen, who works full time as a nurse, knew the lifeboat station was close by and said her partner managed paddle to shore.

He called 999 and asked the Coastguard who subsequently tasked Shoreham to launch their D class inshore lifeboat.

She added the reassurance of knowing the RNLI were there was the final push she needed to start volunteering, and she hoped to be able to offer that reassurance to others.

'It's been great joining the crew,' she said. 'Everyone has been lovely and I've made new friends and I'm now doing my boat training. There's a wealth of knowledge and experience at the station.

'I would encourage anyone considering joining to go to an open day. It's a lot of commitment and you have to want to do it.

'I'm a nurse so I'm interested to start using my clinical skills again and get stuck into casualty care.'

Head of Volunteering at the RNLI, Donna McReath, said: 'Volunteers continue to be at the forefront of what we do as we begin our third century of saving lives at sea and we thank all of them for their unwavering support.

'Karen is a great example of being inspired to start volunteering and it's great to see how well she's doing as a shore crew volunteer at Shoreham.

'There is a role for everyone at the RNLI and we are always looking for new volunteers to join our charity to help us continue saving lives.'

As Karen begins her volunteering journey, another volunteer celebrated 75 years of dedicated service at a garden party at Buckingham Palace.

Gerald Beddard, tour guide at RNLI College, and fundraiser and water safety volunteer at Poole Lifeboat Station, was first involved with the charity at 5 years old when he helped his mother collect donations in the midlands.

He is a regular attraction on Poole Quay in 'yellows' collecting for the RNLI and even spends Christmas Day on the Sandbanks Ferry - the ferry doesn't charge passengers on Christmas Day, instead asking for donations to the RNLI.

He said: 'It was an honour and privilege to be chosen to represent the RNLI at the Buckingham Palace Garden Party on 20 May. The cherry on the cake was being presented to HRH The Duke of Edinburgh who was interested in my motivation in volunteering for the RNLI.'

Find out more and get involved at RNLI.org/volunteer.