Our coast, our lifeboats, our lifeline!
Baroness Neate CBE - a local RNLI member - tells Love It Local magazine why a dramatic cliff rescue inspired her lifelong support for the RNLI...
Last weekend I went to the Ceilidh organised by the Wareham RNLI Fundraising Group. Why do I support the RNLI? Itās simple. I will never forget how I felt, after 90 minutes hanging from a cliff at Anvil Point near Swanage with a double open fracture to my ankle, when I saw the lifeboat come round the point. It was another hour before I was actually on the lifeboat, and there were many heroes involved, not only from the RNLI, but the Coastguard and the Air Ambulance as well.
Ā
Expertise and bravery
I was in awe of the skill, teamwork and leadership shown by the Swanage RNLI crew. Itās nothing short of extraordinary that volunteers are trained to that level of expertise and bravery. I owe them a debt of gratitude that my monthly donation canāt touch the sides of. The moment where the rescue could have gone horribly wrong was when I was passed from hand to hand across the rocks to the inshore lifeboat, tied to a stretcher, with waves breaking over the feet of the crew. I did think āif they drop me now, Iāve had itā. But as someone who has been learning for years about how to lead high performing teams, I marvelled at their decisiveness, co-ordination and communication.
A day that changed my life
It was a day that changed my life, in some ways that have been a real test of resilience, and in other ways that I would unreservedly say have been positive. I still love rock climbing, even though thatās what I was doing when the accident happened, and Iāve been back many times to the same cliff. In fact, I feel a powerful connection to the place. Iāve learned a lot about myself in the four years since the accident: it was a test and I feel proud to have come through.
Iām sure that living through the way my life has changed since the accident made me confident enough to change my life again in 2024, when my husband and I sold up in London, I gave up my demanding full-time job, retrained as a leadership coach, and moved permanently to lovely Wareham.
'One of the loneliest times of my life'
My husband Hugh was a key player in my rescue. He had to climb āsoloā up the cliff ā without ropes ā and run to the Anvil Point lighthouse to call the coastguard. While he had to leave me, and I was hanging on the cliff all alone ā it was January and there was no one in sight, not even a boat ā it was one of the loneliest times of my life. I knew I should elevate my injured foot and leg, so I braced the good leg against the cliff and lifted the injured one so it rested on it. How I managed to stay like that for two and a half hours I will never know. By the time he came back, for the long wait for rescue, I was trying to focus on the beauty all around me, and most of the time it was working. I was lucky, because the doctor at Southampton Hospital, where I was eventually taken by the Air Ambulance, said that I could have lost my foot, and the elevation had helped to save it. We were both calm, and we helped each other stay that way.
āYou never know when you might need the RNLIā
So, the accident didnāt just happen to me, it happened to both of us. Thatās why when we moved to Wareham, Hugh joined the local RNLI fundraising group. What my story proves is that if you love the outdoors, the cliffs and the sea, you never know when you might need the RNLI. And fundraising is fun: the annual Poole Harbour Cruise is unmissable, and last weekendās Ceilidh was a brilliant community event, as the picture below shows
Fundraising volunteers needed to help support the RNLI
RNLI volunteers give their time for free, but that level of training, professionalism and expertise doesnāt come cheap. If you can offer support, in time, funds or both, I would urge you to help. The Wareham Group is particularly looking for a new Treasurer and Secretary at the moment.
If you want to find out more contact the Group Chair, Caroline Snell on:
07793 315927 / carolinesnell58@gmail.com
Also do look out for details of our forthcoming events which include a picnic in the grounds of Encombe House on Thursday 25 June, the hugely popular Poole Harbour Cruise, an evening with the Wareham Whalers and another Ceilidh later in the year. All events can be booked through Eventbrite when tickets become available.
Our part of Dorset is a paradise for swimmers, paddleboarders, sailors, kayakers, walkers, fossil-hunters and climbers, and itās much safer for all because we have lifeboat stations at Swanage, Poole and Weymouth. Letās keep it that way.
Find out more about the Wareham Fundraising Group at the RNLI on their website.
