Woman thanks Essex RNLI crew for saving her life
"I must admit I was pretty scared."
A woman who was saved by RNLI West Mersea after becoming trapped in the mud on Bradwell Beach back in October has recorded a thank you message for the volunteers who came to her rescue.
Lucien Cruse was walking her dogs with her Mother and Brother when they all got stuck in the mud.
Her family managed to pull themselves free and raise the alarm, with the lifeboat arriving on the scene in just 10 minutes.
Covid 19 restrictions has meant that Lucien has been unable to visit the station and thank the volunteers in person, so instead she recorded a message for them.
Stephen Jay was part of the lifeboat crew called out that day: "We have a lot of mudflats along the Blackwater Estuary and knowing that the tide was coming in, we knew that every second counted.
"We were able to launch Just George and arrive on scene quickly thanks to our training. We were able to dig Lucien out within a minute before handing her over into the care of the emergency services waiting on shore.
"Tyler having the means to dial 999 so quickly, undoubtedly saved Lucian’s life that day."
He added that: "Usually at Christmas the crew will get together and talk about rescues we’ve performed during the year.
"Sometimes we’re lucky enough to be reunited with someone we’ve helped. Obviously that can’t happen this year, so we were all so pleased to receive the video message from Lucien and Tyler."
The RNLI has launched its Christmas appeal after losing millions in income as fundraising activities had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.
In 2020, the RNLI say they purchased 6.7 million units of coronavirus PPE including almost 700,000 face masks, 2.4 million gloves and just under 5,000 litres of hand sanitiser, at a cost of £1.2m.
They say it wasn't money the charity had planned to spend, at a time when RNLI shops were forced to close and fundraising events were cancelled.
West Mersea is among the branches affected, having to cancel their Boxing Day Dip this year due to restrictions.
Last year the event raised over £4,000 with 147 people braving the cold water.
The RNLI say their lifesavers have continued to work tirelessly throughout the pandemic to keep people safe as lockdown restrictions eased and people flocked to the coast.
Over the summer, the charity saw a 64% increase in the number of recreational water users aided by RNLI lifeboats.
The charity's lifeguards also reported increases in the number of people on the beaches.
It says support is needed now more than ever before and is urging people to help them "brave the wave we never expected".