Whitby lifeboat station appoints first female skipper

Leah Hunter (R) is the helm of Whitby's inshore lifeboat

A woman has been appointed to command a lifeboat in Whitby for the first time in the station's 220-year history, the RNLI has said.

Leah Hunter joined the volunteer lifesavers as a crew member when she was 18.

Now aged 26, and after months of training, she has qualified as a helm and will skipper the town's D-Class inshore lifeboat, The Warter Priory.

She said crewmates were "really positive" about her appointment.

"Being the first female helm there's a lot of pressure, but the hard work has paid off," she said.

"When I was a crew member I was following instructions from the helm, but now it is the other way round, so I'm in charge."

Ms Hunter said her crewmates had been "really positive" about her becoming the helm

The RNLI station in Whitby was was one of the earliest in the country when it was established in 1802.

It has two lifeboats, including the D-Class Warter Priory.

According to the RNLI, the craft is designed to operate close to shore in shallower water accessing areas larger lifeboats cannot reach, such as close to cliffs, rocks and inside caves.

It has a crew of up to four and carries night-vision equipment and has a top speed of 25 knots.

Ms Hunter said she has dealt with a variety of emergencies in her lifeboat career.

"I've been on call-outs such as boats broken down, so we've had to tow them in," she said.

"People cut off by the tide, that's one of our main jobs.

"We had a shout a few years ago where a woman fractured her ankle so we had to do first aid."