New Year's Day saw the first call out of the year for Looe RNLI after volunteers were sent to help a windsurfer in difficulty.

The D Class lifeboat ‘Ollie Naismith’ launched around 12.25pm on Thursday help a local windsurfer, who was spotted off the Banjo pier East Looe and had got tangled in his gear.

Jeff Penhaligon, Looe Harbourmaster and Looe RNLI deputy launch authority, said: "The windsurfer did exactly what he should do and had managed to extricate himself from his gear. He remained calm throughout which made the rescue easier."

The shout response time was especially quick as it coincided with the New Year’s Day swim off East Looe Beach. Several of the crew were already close to the lifeboat station and the lifeboat had been afloat less than an hour before.

The swim was very well supported with over a 100 swimmers who braved the overcast but mild weather conditions. Although there is no entry charge for the event, volunteers with buckets managed to raise over £800 in donations for Looe RNLI. Swimmers took advantage of hot drinks and mince pies in the crew room providers by volunteers after to warm up. Thank you to everybody who took part and helped on the day.

Although this was the first shout of the year for Looe RNLI, it contributed to a total of 17 shouts on the first day of the New Year that the charity’s volunteers responded to nationally.