MINEHEAD | 18 DECEMBER
Minehead lifeboat crew launched at first light after a husband and son reported their wife/mother missing. She had slipped 3m down a cliff near her home in Porlock, Devon, and – unable to climb back up – spent the night in a cave. The volunteers found her waving for help on the rocks, confused and in early stages of hypothermia. The crew powered her back to the station where she had an
emotional reunion with her family and was treated by paramedics. Andrew Escort, Helm, says: ‘She was getting towards hypothermia, and I’m very surprised she hadn’t succumbed to it. I think it’s because she had a thick parka on with a hood – that’s what saved her.’