Two volunteer RNLI lifeguards, Harry Brooksbank and Jamie Barton, have used their lifeguard training to save lives away from the beach.

Jamie, 17, is both a newly inducted lifeguard who patrols St Agnes and Chapel Porth beaches and a volunteer crew member on St Agnes Lifeboat. On July 1, the lifeboat was called to help a woman who had fallen about 15 feet from a cliff, landing badly in a cave.

Both crew and nearby lifeguards ran with Jamie to the casualty, where they administered first aid. After radioing for an air ambulance, Jamie and the other first aiders carefully removed the casualty from the cave and made sure she got to hospital safely.

Jamie said: "This incident was the first time I had used my RNLI casualty care training in real life, because the other shouts I had been on were for minor incidents. Casualty care courses teach lifeguards how to assess and treat casualties in emergencies, and I was so thankful to the RNLI for instilling in me what to do in a crisis."

Harry, 16, who patrols Portreath and Porthtowan beaches, had only officially been a volunteer lifeguard for a few hours when he was able to use his RNLI training in real life. Driving back from training, he spotted a casualty on the side of the road near Redruth. Asking his mum to pull over, Harry ran from the car to the injured woman, his lifeguard training immediately kicking in.

Harry said: "After asking what happened, I did a secondary survey and noticed the woman had sustained a nasty hit to the head from when she fell over. Her neck and back seemed fine so I rolled her into the recovery position. I waited with her for two hours whilst I waited for the police and ambulance to arrive."

Thanks in part to Harry’s quick response and casualty care knowledge, it is believed the woman is recovering well.

Drustan Ward, RNLI lifeguard supervisor for south west England, said: "We’re extremely proud of our lifeguards and the quality of the training they receive. Three of the RNLI’s core values are courageousness, dependability and selflessness and all three can be seen in Harry and Jamie’s actions.

"Both incidents took place during their time off, in the evenings, yet they were ready to help save lives wherever they were needed. Volunteers are vitally important the charity. It’s because of their service that we’re able to save lives at sea."