Lifeboat charity Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service sees busiest summer over 50 years - and issues safety advice to paddle-boarders

The Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service, an independent charity organisation, has already carries out 77 rescues this year in the Solent and Portsmouth Harbour.

The service relies on donations from the public to keep running and held an open day on Sunday, July 16 for people to learn about the work it does. The event was also attended by personnel from Ramora UK – a bomb disposal service – , the Hill Head Coastguard Rescue Team, Gosport NCI, Lee-on-the-Solent NCI, Gosport Police, Gosport Fire Station, South Central Ambulance Service, and SERV Wessex Blood Runners volunteers. Also in attendance was - deputy Hampshire Police and Crime commissioner Terry Norton.

NOW READ: Gosport Lifeboat Station warns people to take precautions following one of their busiest months on record for call-outs

GAFIRS coxswain James Baggott said: “One of the biggest rises we’ve seen so far this year is “persons in the water”. It’s quite hard to put a finger on why that is. There have been a lot of people who have been swimming and gotten into trouble and people who have entered the water accidentally that we have assisted. The other big rise we have seen is people getting into trouble on things like paddle boards. There’s been a hug explosion in paddle boarding and doing those sorts of water sports has become a lot more accessible. We’ve seen o lot of people heading to the coast, using paddle boards for the first time and not being well equipped to cope with that.

James added that people should wear a personal flotation device and keep some means of contacting the coast guards, such a mobile phone or radio, with them on the water.

NOW READ: Gosport and Fareham lifeboat service had busiest year in over a decade in 2022

He also thanked the Stoke Road Women’s Institute, which raised £640 for GAFIRS at the open day with a cake sale led by James’ mother Linda Baggott.

He added: “So many people go out on the water on things like paddle boards and don’t realise quite how dangerous the waters are around Portsmouth. In our 54-year history, it’s the busiest year we have ever had. If we were an RNLI station, we would be one of the 10 busiest in the whole of the UK."You can donate to GAFIRS here.