cLose UP Nor any drop to drink to the surprise of many, RnLi lifeboat crews headed inland this summer, responding to a different kind of emergency. Carol Waterkeyn fi nds out what was going on What can be worse than losing your home and everything in it? surely only the loss of life itself. it was to prevent just this that local and national emergency services, including the RnLi, worked together during the severe fl ooding that hit parts of england and Wales this summer.

already saturated gardens and fi elds were fi nally engulfed when a period of extraordinarily intense rain caused drains and rivers to overfl ow. there was water everywhere but not the kind you could drink. What follows is a diary of the part played by the RnLi and, over the page, an explanation of the risks and skills involved. But what caused the fl ooding in the fi rst place? ? ‘Water, water, every where And all the boards did shrink Water, water, every where Nor any drop to drink’ From the Rime of the Ancient Mariner by samuel taylor Coleridge JUNE 26 seven lifeboat crew members from Redcar, north Yorkshire, travel 120 miles with a D class lifeboat and lifesaving equipment to help people in Hull.

the city’s sea defences are no barrier to the landborne waters. meanwhile, RnLi volunteers from Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, evacuate 15 people from homes and a community centre in the Willows estate, Grimsby.

27 People rescued today include a woman in urgent need of dialysis and a couple in their 80s. 29 the newly formed national Flood support team requests help from the RnLi in anticipation of fl ooding in south Yorkshire. ten members of the Rapid Response unit (RRu) make their way to meet two D class lifeboats despatched from Headquarters in Poole. 30 the RRu team is now operating in toll Bar, Doncaster and sheffi eld. they are patrolling the streets in lifeboats, evacuating householders and making sure that any still camping at home are safe. they also give safety advice to children playing in or near the water and anyone attempting to get through the fl oodwaters in their own vehicles. JULY 1 as the immediate emergency is over, the clear-up operation starts for thousands. RRu members return gratefully to their own homes. 19 an RnLi RRu team is put on alert due to the threat of fl ooding further south, in Worcester. 20 severe weather hits Gloucester and tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, Worcester, tenbury Wells and upton-on-severn in Worcestershire, Kingston-uponthames in surrey, Weston-super-mare in avon, and Oxford. Local authorities request assistance and the RRu deploys. a police escort on the m5 eases an arduous journey. 21 Operations start at 3.15am. One RRu team rescues people from the tops of caravans at Hardlow, Worcestershire. they evacuate elderly residents and rescue a casualty from the water in Pershore, Worcestershire. Crew also see action in Droitwich, Kidderminster, Wick and Hawford. the initial team of 12 is supplemented with a further 11 from the RRu and lifeboat stations. now equipped with four lifeboats, they can work around the clock in shifts. 22 it’s sunday morning and both RnLi teams set up base at Gloucester fi re station. they evacuate a woman, her 7-month-old baby and several elderly people from the Royal British Legion club in tewkesbury. also in Gloucestershire, team members evacuate from a care home six adults with learning diffi culties and two support workers. a third RRu team arrives. 23 Rescue work continues day and night with minimal breaks. Overnight, the RnLi provides the safety cover, and only means of escape, for the team of engineers trying to protect Welham electricity substation.

During the day, they provide humanitarian help, delivering bottled water and medication, and transport emergency service personnel. RnLi-adapted Landrovers pull to safety people in their stranded cars. One team helps transport power workers and a portable generator to the Castle meads switching station. a further 10 RnLi personnel arrive, allowing some of their colleagues to withdraw while maintaining full capability on scene. 24 at 6.25am a man and seven animals are rescued – including four Rottweilers! 25 the water starts to recede. the RRu stands down at 8.30am, exhausted but high from all the support and kindness they have themselves received while doing their lifesaving work. in all, they have rescued over 140 people. ‘the fl oodwater was fl owing at a frightening 8–15 knots. We were rescuing people from a caravan park south of Kidderminster. Residents were fast asleep, oblivious that the nearby river had burst its banks and was fl owing through the site, tearing away the caravans in its path.’ alwyn Dunn, RRu member and Helmsman at Flint lifeboat station, Clwyd. World weather systems met Offi ce fi gures show that england and Wales experienced their wettest may–July since records began in 1766.

the jet stream, a ribbon of very strong winds in the upper atmosphere, largely determines where the weather systems that bring rain to the British isles will develop. For much of this summer, the jet stream was further south and stronger than usual. this resulted in more lowpressure systems crossing southern and central parts of the uK, some of which interacted with the very warm air over europe, generating the exceptionally heavy rainfall. the already sodden earth was unable to soak up the excess.

there are many serious hazards of fl ooding: • drowning in the fast-moving waters • dehydration from loss of drinking water supplies • bacterial and viral infection from exposure to sewage • physical injury from submerged hazards • poisoning by toxic chemicals such as petrol and pesticides • electrocution or carbon monoxide poisoning from using appliances in wet or confi ned spaces • distress, anxiety and depression.

The RNLI Rapid Response Unit the RRu is a crack group of RnLi volunteers and staff specially trained to deal with fl ood disasters. three teams of 20 people are on a rota to be ready to deploy at 24 hours notice. all RRu members, and some volunteer crew at stations adjacent to areas prone to fl ooding, receive swiftwater Rescue technician (sRt) training, which prepares them for the different behaviour of fl oodwaters and the special hazards involved. each team undertakes a 3-day training exercise every year to refresh their skills and everyone attends an annual conference.

Home and abroad the unit was set up following the RnLi’s fl ood relief work in mozambique in 2000, although the RnLi has been helping in such disasters since the fl oods in east Pakistan in 1970. it was most recently deployed in Guyana in 2005. in the uK, members of the RRu and/or sRt-trained volunteers from lifeboat stations have seen service in Lewes and uckfi eld in sussex in 2000 and Carlisle in Cumbria in 2005. When overseas, the costs of RRu operations are borne by the Government’s Department for international Development, but the equipment, training and logistics are provided through public generosity.

Ready for anything RRu members wear an alternative kit to deal with the different conditions they fi nd themselves in, including personal fl otation devices rather than lifejackets and red or yellow canoe-type helmets. they carry spare engines, generators, clothing, lifejackets and sundry stores to ensure they are self-suffi cient, and use D class lifeboats and lifeguard inshore rescue boats. almost fl at bottomed and highly manoeuvrable, these craft are perfect for negotiating unexpected hazards like submerged cars and fences in water of unknown depth.

they can also be defl ated, packed and reinfl ated quickly, enabling rapid transport.

Future ? ooding? in the midst of disaster, one positive outcome to draw from this summer’s events is that people who live far from the sea and know little of the RnLi have seen the charity active in their own communities and realised its signifi cance.

Flood rescue neatly complements the lifesaving service provided at more than 230 lifeboat stations around the coast of the uK and Roi, on the River thames and on selected inland waterways, and seasonal lifeguarding on more than 70 beaches. (see page 10 for news of a fully integrated service planned for Dartmouth in Devon.) Hugh Fogarty, RnLi staff Offi cer in charge of the charity’s fl ood response, explains: ‘the RnLi has always adapted to new situations both on the coast and inland and will continue to meet the challenges of saving lives in the future. We have no statutory obligation with regard to inland fl ooding but, providing a formal request is made and there is an immediate risk to life, the RnLi will respond.’ PAGe tItLe sPIRIt It’s a kind of magic Over 115 years after the first rattle of an RnLi collecting tin in manchester, Rory stamp discovers how young musicians are ensuring that the charity still strikes a chord in the city A pupil hurries along a dark corridor, passing rough stonework walls and old, heavy oak doors. As his footsteps echo through the passageway, he quickens his pace, worried that he won’t make his next lesson on time … It sounds like a scene from a best-selling book about a certain young wizard, but this is actually a glimpse of real life at Chetham’s School of Music, in the heart of Manchester. Some of the finest young musicians in the country are taught here, and the magical sounds they create help raise RNLI funds.

The boys and girls of Chetham’s regularly perform for the public in the school’s unique 15th century buildings; the medieval surroundings seem to amplify the spellbinding effect of the music. But the school hasn’t always been all about conjuring crotchets and semiquavers. When the wealthy city merchant Humphrey Chetham died in 1653, he left money in his Will to buy the buildings, stipulating that they should be turned into a school for 40 ‘poor boys’. He also bequeathed funds for part of the site to be converted into a library for scholars, which is still used today and is the oldest surviving library in England.

After centuries of continuing its benefactor’s vision, Chetham’s became an independent grammar school in the 1950s and began to earn a national reputation for producing excellent musicians. This was recognised in 1969 when it became a specialist music school. The principles behind Humphrey Chetham’s legacy were not forgotten, though: the most promising of today’s young musicians can attend the school regardless of their financial background. The school’s charitable ethos is reflected in the support it shows for another historic institution: the RNLI. ‘Humphrey Chetham left this fantastic legacy to support people,’ explains the school’s Director of Music, Stephen Threlfall. ‘And that created a strong tradition of benefaction here, which I think fits in well with the charity.

While I wouldn’t say the school “rescues” people these days, we certainly offer them opportunities, regardless of where they’ve come from. There are some humanistic parallels between us and the RNLI that, I think, make our relationship very special.’ He adds that he has always supported the charity: ‘There’s a great heroism about the kind of work that the RNLI does and, of course, the voluntary ethos – which I think young people can always learn a great deal from.’ It was Stephen’s admiration for the RNLI that led to Chetham’s first fundraising concert in aid of the charity in 2002. Since then the pupils have raised thousands of pounds, and learned about the RNLI’s rescue and sea safety work. Lifeboat crew members have visited the school to talk to pupils and, in October 2006, Chetham’s even hosted a special fundraising reception in its Baronial Hall. ‘It was a fantastic event,’ remembers Viv Featherstone, RNLI Regional Education Manager for North England. ‘Some of the pupils played for us in the hall and the music was just outstanding. It was part of Manchester lifeboat week, and they really helped make it a success. The money they’ve raised is enough to train five crew members.’ Viv was so grateful for Chetham’s support that she nominated the school for an RNLI Supporters Award in the Youth 13–18 Category; an award that they went on to win. The RNLI’s President, HRH The Duke of Kent, presented the award to Stephen and some Chetham’s pupils at the Barbican in London in May 2007. ‘It’s great for the school to win the award,’ says 18-year-old pupil and violinist Joe Devalle. ‘And for us it’s also been great to be able to use something we enjoy doing to help a charity like the RNLI.’ By taking part in lifeboat week, Chetham’s pupils were supporting a Manchester fundraising tradition that began in 1891, when the world’s first charity street collection took place in the city in aid of the RNLI. The collection was arranged in memory of a lifeboat disaster 5 years earlier in which 27 lifeboatmen from Southport and St Annes died while trying to rescue sailors from the stricken vessel Mexico. With a sense of charity not unlike Humphrey Chetham’s, the wealthy local industrialist Sir Charles Macara was concerned for the widows and children of the crew members lost. He organised the collection in aid of them, which raised £5,500 – a very large amount of money at the time – and in doing so laid the foundations of fundraising as we know it today. In the following years, ‘Lifeboat Saturdays’ in Manchester saw lifeboat crews visiting the city to help raise funds.

More than 115 years on, the collection buckets will be out once again on 22 October for the beginning of the 2007 Manchester lifeboat week. The lifeboat making an appearance in the city this year will be rather different from the wooden pulling vessels that were once wheeled through the streets. A new Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat will be named and accepted into the RNLI’s relief fleet as part of the week’s events. And what better location in Manchester for the naming ceremony than the enchanting surroundings of Chetham’s School of Music? ‘there’s a great heroism about the kind of work that the RnLi do and, of course, the voluntary ethos – which i think young people can learn a great deal from.’ coAstAL LIFe Rapture of the deep scuba diving is fraught with dangers, but each year thousands of adventurers find that the rewards far outweigh the risks.

Bethany Hope discovers the appeal of diving close to home ‘You wouldn’t run a marathon with no training.

it’s the same with diving. You practise, and dive within your capabilities.’ One of the main attractions of recreational scuba diving lies in the privileges it brings. You are, after all, breathing underwater, defying nature thanks to technology. Divers explore a new underwater world, and feel like they’re the first person to step into a secret garden.

Whether divers are into shipwrecks, sea life, archaeology or photography, the seas of the British isles are teeming with sites to explore, full of different colours, shapes, textures and creatures. more ships have sunk around the coasts of the British isles than anywhere else in the world and it’s estimated that we have more than 60,000 wrecks.

they are a magnet for plant and animal life including fish, shellfish, and crustacea. Certain wrecks are out of bounds, such as war graves and those in a state of collapse, but divers can still discover boats that have been preserved for centuries. With no noise except the sound of the bubbles from your breathing, it can be an eerie experience.

Fantasies of discovering long-lost treasure chests are unlikely to materialise as only a few ships, such as galleons bringing bullion from the new World to spain, had coins, ingots of gold or silver aboard. But there are other treasures to be discovered in the waters of the uK and Roi.

People who have only dived abroad might be surprised by the range and popularity of dive sites around the British isles. Just as the view above the waterline changes around our coast, the underwater panorama varies tremendously. underwater treats for divers include reefs, pinnacles and caves, and diverse marine fauna from sea slugs to sharks. above water, divers often have a spectacular view too as some of the best dives are found near areas of outstanding natural beauty.

A sport for all? scuba diving promoters stress that diving is ‘a sport for all’, that anyone over the age of 10, male or female, can do it, but this isn’t the whole story. Your mind and body need to be in good working order in the first place.

tom templeton is a qualified diving instructor and part of a diving family but uses his experience at work too. as an RnLi training manager, tom trains RnLi divers in the survival tank at the Lifeboat College in Poole. they need to be ready to help in case of accident during lifeboat capsize exercises. He agrees that the sport of scuba diving is increasingly accessible, but stresses that there are limits: ‘Diving is for those who are adventurous by nature and fit. You don’t have to be match fit, but some people with medical conditions such as high blood pressure shouldn’t dive.’ scuba diving is an expensive sport, but not exclusive. to enable you to survive underwater for 30 minutes or more, you need a lot of good-quality equipment and protective clothing, which isn’t cheap to hire or buy. many dive clubs and shops offer a ‘try dive’, a taster of what it’s like to be under the water. this will help you decide whether to invest the time and money that will be required to pursue the sport.

Getting started if you are keen to learn to dive, there are several uK and Roi organisations that can help. the Professional association of Diving instructors (PaDi, see www.padi.com) is an organisation many will come across, perhaps on a one-off holiday experience. the British sub aqua Club (BsaC, see www.bsac.org) is the biggest of its kind in the world, with hundreds of affiliated clubs around the uK.

the irish underwater Council (www.cft.ie) plays a big role promoting scuba diving around the Roi, with more than 80 clubs.

to pass diving courses you need a good basic level of swimming, although there are exceptions for people with certain disabilities. You’ll also need to be comfortable with simple maths – the ability to calculate your rate of ascent from a dive will be key to your safety. the initial training typically comprises classroom, pool and open-water lessons, and successful divers will be qualified to dive to a maximum of 20m.

michael avril, RnLi sea safety manager, has been diving for 14 years, mainly off the east coast of scotland, and he stresses that qualifying is only the beginning: ‘You wouldn’t run a marathon with no training. it’s the same with diving. You practise, and dive within your capabilities.’ Local limitations some divers brave the cold and dive during the Winter, although the main season for diving around the British isles is generally may to september or October because of the likelihood of better weather. even in the season, an ocean dive may well be called off because of rough conditions. You might think that divers wouldn’t need to worry about a spot of rain or gusts of wind up above. ? However, they have to get out to and back from the dive site safely, whether in a dive boat or by swimming through the surf.

the weather affects visibility underwater – the ‘vis’. Rainwater run off from the land will cloud the sea and sometimes it will be so churned up that a diver would be unable to see their hand in front of their face. Visibility in waters around the British isles can be frustrating: it averages just 3m.

spring algal blooms and coral spawns can add to the effect, as will ebb tides, lack of sunlight and the depth at which you dive.

as well as protecting themselves, divers must manoeuvre with care to avoid damaging coral or disturbing the seabed with their fins. Despite all this, low visibility needn’t ruin a dive as marine life is sometimes best examined at close quarters. many divers even prefer night dives for a different view of the underwater world.

Dangers of diving scuba diving started in the 1940s but there was a rise in diver incidents in the 1990s, following an increase in the sport’s popularity. according to BsaC, there have been around 400 reported incidents in the uK annually since 2000. Considering the number of people diving, this is remarkably low. the emphasis on training and ‘belts and braces’ equipment helps reduce fatalities and the British Diving safety Group, chaired by the RnLi, reaches out to recreational divers with safety messages (see www.bdsg.org).

However, RnLi lifeboats still went out to 65 divers in 2006, and when divers are in trouble it is often life threatening. tom spells out why it’s so dangerous: ‘You have to respect you’re breathing in a non-breathing environment. it is an extreme sport.’ there are as many RnLi call outs to dive boats as to divers themselves. alistair Crowe, st abbs Lifeboat Operations manager and a dive boat shop owner comments: ‘the main problem with divers is that they have no knowledge of the sea. You can be a competent diver but be clueless with a boat. Divers are lucky to have the RnLi close at hand. not many sports get better safety cover. it’s an exceptional service and most divers know this.’ Common problems for divers include decompression sickness and nitrogen narcosis. Both can be lethal. ‘You have to respect you’re breathing in a nonbreathing environment. it is an extreme sport.’ tOP DiVinG sites Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands a long-time ‘mecca’ for divers from all over the world, with wrecks from the scuttled First World War German fleet.

Oban and Sound of Mull, Argyll and Bute superb wreck dives and sheer underwater cliffs.

Farne Islands, Northumberland an extensive group of offshore islands renowned for excellent underwater life and diving with grey seals.

Isle of Man Features clear waters, wrecks, strong tidal currents and richer marine life including basking sharks.

Old Head of Kinsale, County Cork the wreck of Lusitania, torpedoed by a German u-boat in 1915.

Plymouth, Devon the liberty ship James Egan Layne attracts thousands of divers, but in recent years has begun to collapse. in 2002 former warship Hms Scylla was sunk close by to form an alternative site.

Isles of Scilly the clear waters have diverse marine life including friendly seals but also an extensive range of wrecks including the treasure ship Association.

Lundy Island, Devon the only true marine reserve in the uK, with an exceptional range of marine life.

thanks to BsaC for supplying the bulk of these recommendations. For further information visit www.bsactravelclub.co.uk. Decompression sickness, the ‘bends’, is caused by nitrogen gas bubbles forming in the blood and tissues of the body. the bends will strike if the diver has risen to the surface too quickly. alistair describes a recent shout to a diver with the bends: ‘His symptoms were classic. Back on the boat he was on his knees, in pain, constantly vomiting. We gave him oxygen and fluids and comforted him as best we could. He had to be taken to aberdeen hyperbaric chamber to be decompressed.’ nitrogen narcosis affects divers at depth and is a side effect of breathing nitrogen under pressure. iconic diver Jacques Cousteau called it the ‘rapture of the deep’ and it can feel like being under the influence of alcohol.

Diving instructors often tell the story of a ‘narked’ diver sharing their mouthpiece with a fish. Being 30m under the water isn’t a good place to lose control. sadly, some divers don’t surface in time to be rescued. Dave milford, Plymouth lifeboat Coxswain reflects: ‘Once the divers are down that far, you’ve got no control. as a lifeboatman, all you can do is look on the surface. You can’t get down there with them – it’s frustrating. the body of one diver turned up after 2½ years. it’s not the best bit of the job.’ this is why one of the main rules of diving is to always dive with a ‘buddy’. However experienced and careful you are, you can still get into trouble. tom templeton has had many safe and thrilling dives, but he’ll never forget how his buddy saved his life: ‘it was Valentine’s Day in 2004 and i ran out of air at 20m in the Channel. it was pitch black and the current was strong, so it was difficult connecting the back-up equipment.

then the “octopus”, my back-up air source, free flowed – i could hear the air coming out.

By torchlight, my buddy tried to assist while i got the DsmB (delayed surface marker buoy) up. i did a controlled emergency swimming ascent, but i needed my buddy. i took her main air source and she used her octopus.

a buddy gives you someone to rely on, to bail you out.’ see below to share in the diving experiences of RnLi member Donald macneill and meet another, perhaps unexpected, diver on page 46. ‘i did a controlled emergency swimming ascent, but i needed my buddy.’close and personal up There’s a whole package of experiences to enjoy when you’re diving. For me, it includes the ‘messing about in boats’, visiting new locations and doing it all in the company of good friends. I’ve been diving for 11 years, and the dives from the ‘top drawer’ provide memories that will last a lifetime, often for very different reasons.

On one memorable dive my buddy and I were on a cliff in Loch Duich, near Skye in the Inner Hebrides, on a dark Autumn night. It was a site our dive club visited often, with no reports of tidal currents, but tonight was different – with the spring flood tide going like a train! At a depth of 35m, in the pitch black, we were being blasted along the cliff face, with the bottom at least another 0m below. On the surface we agreed the best description was ‘challenging’ because we couldn’t admit to ‘scary’! Another unforgettable dive for me was off Little Skellig – one of a pair of islands 5 miles off the coast of the RoI. Six of us dropped into the water in three buddy pairs. It was already a great experience – the sheer rocks, hundreds of gannets wheeling over our heads, but what was to come surpassed all that. As we reached the bottom in an amazing 0m visibility I became aware of a small, blurred shape circling on the edge of my vision.

within minutes we had a young grey seal, growing in confidence, and getting up close and personal with four divers.

Trying to keep him in sight I twisted onto my side – the seal followed; I rolled onto my back – he copied in a flash. The seal stayed with us for the rest of the dive, at one point even getting as close as to nibble my drysuit sleeve, forcing me to push him gently away. It was fun to the last moment as he played tug-of-war on the surface with our orange marker buoy.

Interacting with a wild animal in its own environment for nearly 0 minutes – I doubt I’ll ever match the wonder of that dive. .