North Berwick RNLI praise 10 year old’s actions on dialling 999

The 10 year old boy was on the beach in Milsey Bay, North Berwick when he spotted what he thought to be an inflatable with one person on board drifting out to sea in the light offshore winds. He called 999 for the Coastguard, with Watch Officers in the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Aberdeen able to gain all the information they needed to task North Berwick RNLI Lifeboat’s volunteers.

The lifeboat was on the water within 8 minutes conducting a search of the area and identifying the vessel of concern, with members of North Berwick’s Coastguard Rescue Team confirming with the first informant. The vessel was established not to be in any difficulty with an engine to get back to shore.

Volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager, Ricky Martin said: ‘Whilst this turned out to be a false alarm, it was impressive to hear that the 10 year old was able to act when he thought he saw an emergency unfolding. Many adults don’t know to call the Coastguard in a coastal emergency, so we are pleased the safety messaging is reaching young people.’

‘We’d like to extend an invite to the station to the first informant so that we can thank him for his swift actions.’

North Berwick’s volunteer lifeboat crew were also involved in assisting a dog back to shore on Sunday (31 August). Whilst on exercise the crew were waved down by members of the public at Freshwater Haven, Gullane and alerted to a dog swimming out to sea. To prevent the owner entering the water after it, the lifeboat shepherded the dog the 200m back to shore, where the owner re-attached the lead.

Although understandably tempting, entering the water after a dog can be very dangerous, always call 999 and ask for the Coastguard if your dog swims off in the sea.

The work of the RNLI is funded by voluntary donations. Over £190M was spent in 2024 by the RNLI to keep the lifesaving operation running with 9, 141 launches across the UK and Ireland saving 437 lives (including those saved by RNLI Lifeguards).

The North Berwick and Gullane Fundraising Branch are putting on a Silent Auction in aid of the RNLI on Saturday 13 September with a star lot of a stay in a New York Penthouse valued at £6000. Tickets are £27 including a welcome drink and meal at the Glen Golf Club, North Berwick 7-10pm.

Notes to editors

• In 2024 RNLI lifeboats from 238 stations across the UK and RoI launched 9,141 times saving 437 lives (alongside RNLI lifeguards), North Berwick launched 28 times, saving 7 lives.
• It cost £1,360 a year to train each crew member in the lifesaving skills they need to answer the call for help
• 97% of the RNLI’s frontline lifesavers are volunteers including over 5,700 lifeboat crew members.
• In 2024 it cost the RNLI £190M to run its charitable lifesaving service, 6 in 10 of the lifeboat launches were funded by generous supporters leaving the RNLI a gift in their will.

RNLI media contacts

Matthew Gibbons, Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer, North Berwick, [email protected]
Richard Smith, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]
Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]
24 hour RNLI Central Press Office, 01202 336789 or email [email protected]

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.