MEMBER of Bude Coastguard, Lotte Skinner, has marked her last day on duty with one final shout.

On Monday, August 31, following an enjoyable Bude Lifeboat Day, the town’s Coastguard Rescue Team were paged at around 6.35pm. The group was tasked to support Hartland Coastguard Rescue Team with a casualty who had broken their leg whilst walking along a footpath close to Welcombe Beach.

As a result of the incident, Cornwall Air Ambulance also attended the incident.

Arriving on scene just as the helicopter landed, Rescue Officers from Bude made their way to the casualty's position to liaise with the Officer-in-Charge and team members from Hartland, and the Air Ambulance critical care team.

Due to the level of pain, the casualty was sedated to enable safe extraction.

A spokesperson from Bude Coastguard Rescue Team explained: “Once the casualty was sedated due to significant pain, Rescue Officers then carefully placed the casualty onto the stretcher and then – using a variety of carry techniques due to the challenging route – extricated the casualty to a waiting land ambulance.”

However, this didn’t mark the end of the callout, as the team took a moment recognise the efforts and contribution of one of its members, with the shout marking their final callout.

The spokesperson continued: “As the Bude team were stood down from the incident, there was just enough time to capture a quick photo of attending Bude team members in front of the sunset, to mark the final "shout" for Coastguard Rescue Officer Bude 04, Lotte, on her last day of service for HM Coastguard.

“We thank her for her dedication to the team, and her selfless commitment to saving lives and assisting those in need on our coast. She will be sorely missed.”