First female helm for Fowey lifeboat

Amelia Luck is one of 53 RNLI female helms across the country and one of three in Cornwall

A 21-year-old woman has become the first female helm for the Fowey RNLI lifeboat crew in the station's 160-year history.

Amelia Luck passed out to take command of the station's D class inshore lifeboat, Olive Three.

She is one of three female helms in Cornwall with a total of five in the South West.

"It's great to be the first female helm at Fowey but I think of myself as the same as the others," Amelia said.

Amelia was still at school when she joined Fowey RNLI as a volunteer lifeboat crew member, aged 17, in 2017.

She has attended 134 lifeboat launches, of which 36 were rescue incidents, clocking up more than 355 volunteer hours at sea during this time.

"Passing out as a D class helm has to be my best moment in my RNLI story so far, the icing on the cake," she added.

"My worst time was probably having to be signed off from the crew for a couple of months after an operation. It was tough watching the boat go out and not be able to join them."

When she's not volunteering for the RNLI Amelia is doing an apprenticeship in business management.

Amelia Luck is joined in volunteering for the RNLI by her brother and their father

Being part of the lifeboat crew is in the Luck family.

Her father Adam is a Deputy Launching Authority at Fowey station and her brother Oli is the latest family member to volunteer as crew.