When an RNLI station launched its first all-female crew, it was hailed as a “momentous occasion.”
The four-person Cullercoats crew, led by Anna Heslop, spent an hour and a half practising in the North Sea.
A female-only crew has long been a goal of Kay Heslop’s, the lifeboat operations manager and Ms. Heslop’s mother.
10% of RNLI volunteers nationwide, according to her, are female.
On Sunday, the crew performed helm, equipment, and navigation training before scattering the ashes for a nearby family while at sea.
‘One big family’
Kay Heslop said: “It was a momentous occasion and we all felt very proud.
“We have spent a number of years trying to get more women into the station.
“Obviously we couldn’t do it with out the lads, we are all one big family and everyone has their different strengths which we utilise.
“We have people from a raft of professions and experiences and each brings their own skills.”
The Cullercoats crew, which was set up in 1848, currently has 24 volunteers, four of whom are women.
Joining Anna Heslop, who is the station’s first female helm, were Hannah Oliver, Rose Short and Sarah Whitelaw.
Source: BBC.com