Earthworks Operator's Awareness Sparks RNLI Rescue

Last month, MGL Group employees were reminded of the importance of staying vigilant, never being too cautious and most importantly for this story, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

MGL Earthworks Operator Jonny Dane was out on a bank holiday weekend walk along Cambois Beach with his wife and dogs when he looked out to the North Sea horizon and spotted something unusual, an upside-down canoe, with what he thought were people clinging to it. Realising the seriousness of the situation, Jonny quickly dialled 999 to alert the Humber Coastguard.

Minutes later, from the nearby Newbiggin Lifeboat Station, volunteers launched their lifeboat, headed to the Cambois Bay area. The crew arrived to find that inside the upside-down canoe was a man suffering from a stroke, unable to get himself free, having been under the water for some time. The volunteers made a swift rescue, immediately administering first aid before taking the man back to the station, where he was taken to a nearby hospital for further treatment.

Having done his bit, Jonny thought this would be the last he heard about the incident. What he didn’t know was that the man’s daughter, Abbey Brown, was determined to find the person who made the call that saved her dad’s life.

Suspecting the caller was a worker from the nearby QTS development site, Abbey visited the site the following Tuesday to ask if anyone knew anything or was the person who made that call. In the following day’s morning meeting, the question was brought up to the workers, and Jonny raised his hand up to declare it was him who made that call.

Following the call to notify Abbey, it was Jonny who made the call, Abbey came back to the site to thank Jonny for his actions by giving him a few nice gifts. She updated Jonny on her dad’s progress, saying he was in the hospital recovering from the previous Saturday. Abbey also explained that she had visited the RNLI station to find that the people who saved her dad were volunteers, and she would find a way to support them going forward.

Jonny and Abbey have since arranged a sponsored walk for the RNLI which will begin at Tynemouth and finish at New Biggin RNLI lifeboat station. Collection buckets have also been put around the QTS site, which MGL Group have agreed to match when the donation is made.