By Anna Carlton, RNLI
Walker, Jim Smith recently visited Stonehaven RNLI to thank the volunteer crew that helped rescue him after a nasty fall at Todhead Lighthouse back in February this year.
Jim, his wife Lynn and daughter Lori came down to Stonehaven RNLI on a training evening a few weeks back. It was great to see Jim doing so well on his recovery journey and catch up with him and his family.
‘It’s not often we get to meet up again with members of the public that we have helped, and find out how they are getting on. It was an absolute pleasure to catch up with Jim and meet his family and have a good chat.
‘We were so pleased to see how well he is doing after such a nasty fall,’ said Jamie Longfield, one of the volunteer crew on scene on the day.
Jim had been out on a walk with friends from the Royal Blue Sky walkers, when he fell at the cliffs near Todhead Lighthouse. Stonehaven RNLI volunteers crew launched the Jamie Hunter to the scene in a joint rescue service operation. The rock exposure at the bottom of the cliff on the day made it unsafe to get the boat in. The decision was made for two of the crew to swim ashore with medical kit. Once on scene the crew provided medical assistance before Jim was airlifted for further medical treatment.
As a former Aberdeen mountain rescue volunteer himself Jim has a real appreciation for the personal time volunteer rescue services put in. As such, he really wanted to provide a donation to Stonehaven RNLI, which he brought with him on his visit along with a donation from the Blue Sky Walkers.
Andy Martin, Stonehaven RNLI Operations Manager said: ‘ We are extremely grateful for the generous donations that Jim and his family brought with them. That day in February ended in a good outcome and is why our volunteers train twice a week, every week of the year.’