RNLI volunteers prepare for first Christmas Day on call

The crew from Bangor RNLI station were called out to help a swimmer on Christmas Day 2021

Many of us will switch off over the festive period and spend Christmas relaxing with family and friends.

Not so the hundreds of on-call Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) volunteers across the UK and Ireland.

Best-laid festive plans can change at the drop of a Christmas cracker hat - or rather the ping of a pager.

Last Christmas the charity, which has warned it's facing a tough time financially, had its busiest festive period in five years.

Between Christmas Eve 2021 and New Year's Day, RNLI volunteer lifeboat crews saved eight lives at sea and came to the aid of 88 people who had got into trouble.

One of those calls saw the volunteer crew in Bangor, County Down called out on Christmas Day to rescue swimmers who had got into difficulty at Helen's Bay.

It was a rescue that local woman Kelly Clark said spurred her into volunteering.

This Christmas, she and fellow crew member Kevin Ion, are readying for a festive period on call on the County Down coast.

For both, it's the first Christmas they'll carry the life-saving pager

Kelly says the sea can give such joy but warns things can go wrong very quickly

Kelly lives on Bangor's seafront. Last Christmas Day she watched from home as the crew headed out on the Helen's Bay rescue.

"It struck me not everyone was having the nice warm and cosy Christmas that we were," she told BBC News NI.

"It got me thinking about how I could contribute."

Post-Christmas she looked into getting involved and started training as a lifeboat crew volunteer early in 2022.

"It's about giving back to the community. When you live along the water you see the joy it gives, you see how good it is for people's mental health and wellbeing, but you also see the dangers and how quickly it can go wrong," she said.

The RNLI, viewed by many as an emergency service rather than a charity, is on call 365 days a year.

Christmas Day, Kelly added, will be like any other day she has been on call in the past year.

She'll be at home as she was last year with her family.

"They really understand the value of the RNLI, they are proud of what we do and understand the work we do. We save lives.

"Should the pager go on Christmas Day, my first thought will be that's someone who is not in a good position, someone that needs help."

The risks of Christmas cold water swimming

The RNLI urged Christmas swimmers to plan ahead, go in slowly and warm up afterwards.

If going for a Christmas Day swim or a cold water dip over Christmas, the RNLI says there are a number of risks people should be aware of.

• Have a means of calling for help, e.g., a mobile phone in a waterproof pouch and a whistle

• Check weather and tides. Be particularly mindful of strong wind conditions

• When you go open water swimming, enter the water slowly and allow time for your body to get used to the cold

• To help yourself acclimatise, splash the cold water on your neck and face

• Warm up afterwards by putting on dry clothes quickly and wear a warm hat as soon as you get out

• Entry and exit points may be difficult in the sub-zero conditions so walk slowly to avoid slipping

• Avoid swimming in areas where there is ice

• In an emergency dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard

It's a sentiment Kevin - also on call this Christmas for the first time - shares.

His children are six and eight. Just like daddy, "they are on standby too in case I get called out".

Being on call, even on Christmas Day, is part and parcel of RNLI volunteering, he said.

"I may have to run out of family occasions from time to time to answer the pager but it's something I feel is important," he said.

Like Kelly, and although he knew little about the work of the RNLI before moving to Bangor, he signed up because he "wanted to give something back".

Kevin didn't hesitate to volunteer when the Christmas call went out

He didn't hesitate to reply when a message popped up on the Bangor crew RNLI WhatsApp group looking for Christmas Day volunteers.

"Every volunteer at Bangor RNLI gives so much of their time and the level of dedication is inspiring.

"We've got the camaraderie between everybody, it's very sociable, it's been like joining a new social group.

"But most importantly for me, it's rewarding to know I am on standby if someone needs me," he said.

Meanwhile the RNLI, which relies on donations to fund its life-saving work, says it faces an uncertain winter as fewer people can afford to donate during the cost of living crisis.

A spokeswoman said the charity is operating in a "very uncertain economic environment".

"Our costs are rising, and we know times are tight for our supporters too.

"Lifesaving essentials like fuel, energy and kit are becoming significantly more expensive, but we expect income generation to become more challenging due to impacts of the current climate on disposable income," she said.