Lifeboat crew member marks 20 years of service

An RNLI crew member has helped more than 600 people in trouble at sea and has marked 20 years of service.

Will Roberts was 17 years old when he followed in his father's footsteps and joined the RNLI as a volunteer crew member.

In the six years spent with a crew in Wales, and the 14 years he has spent with the Plymouth RNLI team, Roberts has helped 662 people, launched 431 times, saved seven lives and spent nearly 600 hours in incidents at sea.

He said his first shout was the rescue of sheep which had been caught out by the tide on the Gower peninsula, and another memorable incident had been saving someone "in the nick of time" in the dark at Bovisand, Devon.

"It's great to know that person is still here today because we were able to rescue them," Roberts said.

He first joined RNLI Horton and Port Eynon in Wales where he volunteered alongside his father for six years and said it was "a loud shock" when a call-out went off in the night.

In 2012, Roberts moved to Plymouth to study mechanical engineering and later to work at Babcock as a marine engineer.

He said: "There have been some tough rescues over the years, but there have also been some unusual ones too, including my very first shout as a teenager at RNLI Horton and Port Eynon in Wales, when we were tasked to save nine sheep who'd been caught out by the big tides on the Gower.

"The best thing about the last 20 years has been making good friends, helping to build up the Plymouth RNLI crew and all the camaraderie with my fellow volunteer crew members."

He said he learnt to "expect the unexpected" and had seen "so many different types of events" including people floating out to sea on inflatable swans.

He said people often got into trouble trying to rescue their dogs.

"Animal rescues are always one of our favourite ones because the owners are so grateful."

Roberts' fellow volunteer crew members said his dedication had made the difference to many people's lives.

Neil Humphrey, Plymouth RNLI coxswain, said: "What stands out most about Will is his unwavering commitment, reliability and steady presence on the crew.

"We've launched on countless services together over the years and while no single job stands out above the rest, Will has always been a sound pair of hands on board and someone you are glad to have alongside you."

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