NORTH Berwick RNLI’s volunteer crew saved three lives and rescued a further 12 last year.

Newly revealed statistics show the crew spent 60 hours last year on callouts, a third of which were in hours of darkness. In total, it launched its D-Class lifeboat 22 times.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic last year, fundraising events were cancelled, RNLI shops closed and training curtailed, but it did not stop the crew responding to help those in difficulty at sea.

The types of call the crew attended varied but the majority were in the summer months to those using the sea for leisure activities such as swimming, stand-up paddleboarding or kayaking.

A number of swimmers were also rescued from rip currents, with two lives saved and many other incidents being close to a serious outcome.

Rhona Meikle, lifeboat helm, said: “We know from second-hand accounts that other people were caught out by rip currents and waves last year but didn’t know what a rip current was, how to get themselves out of difficulty or, worryingly, to dial 999 and ask for the coastguard.

“We urge everyone to visit the RNLI website and check out the beach safety pages for vital lifesaving information.”

With lockdown restrictions beginning to ease once more and a large number of people expected to book a ‘staycation’, the RNLI expects this summer to be its busiest yet, with more funds needed to help it continue its work.

In preparation for this busy period, the RNLI has launched its own Mayday campaign and is asking people to take part in The Mayday Mile. For more information, visit rnli.org/mayday