Two hours searching - but nothing found One person is rescued, on average, every time an RNLI lifeboat is launched. Life-saving rescues are great news stories and it is these that capture the headlines across the country. But often the less highprofile rescues are just as difficult and dangerous and require just as much courage and commitment from the lifeboat crew.

A fruitless search at Weston-super-Mare last October was never going to make the next day's front pages, but bad weather, darkness and dangerous seas made it a tough challenge for the crew. Their efforts have now been recognised by the RNLI. Helmsman Peter Watts has received a Chairman's letter of thanks and crew members Ivan Parker and Paul Giles each received letters of thanks from the Chief Executive.

It was a wild night with Force 8 winds raising 2m waves to break over the lifeboat slipway in Westonsuper- Mare, on the Bristol Channel. The lifeboat station received reports that a man had been seen walking into the sea. They launched the Atlantic 75 lifeboat Coventry and Warwickshire just before midnight and headed towards the Grand Pier, where the man had reportedly been seen.

Waves here were up to 5m high and a 6 knot tide made steering the lifeboat very tricky indeed. Ivan and Paul set off flares to light up the area and Peter attempted to search for the man, although the terrible weather meant that he couldn't use a methodical search pattern but had to steer according to the wind and waves.

They had covered the area five times when a police helicopter arrived to help with the search. In addition, a coastguard auxiliary team was searching the shore.

After two hours, no sign had been found of anyone in the water. Swansea Coastguard decided that the original report had probably been a false alarm and called off the search. The lifeboat and crew then returned safely to the boathouse.

This type of rescue is a vital part of the RNLl's work. The danger of the search was no less because it took place close to shore and nobody was found.

The crew had to battle dangerous conditions for two hours, in shallow water, often passing close to the pier or the shore. Thanks to them, the reports could be properly investigated and, if someone had been in the water, they could have been saved..