A seal pup who became a symbol of hope during her recovery at Gweek's Cornish Seal Sanctuary has delighted staff by becoming the first rescue pup to return to the wild this year.

A team from the sanctuary were at Porthtowan Beach on Tuesday afternoon, to release six pups that had been in their care in recent months but were now healthy enough to go back home.

A spokesperson for the sanctuary said: "After another busy rescue season, the sanctuary are happy to be releasing their rescued casualties of the sea back into the wild."

This release was particularly special as amongst the pups being released back into the wild was Hope Of the Sea.

Hope was rescued by Zoe Morris, a member of the Cornish Seal Sanctuary team, back in January after the seal became entangled in netting.

She had a deep wound around her neck that had become infected and was in need of specialist care.

However, the sanctuary spokesperson said: "Hope has really thrived during her rehabilitation and the team are excited to see her take her next step in her journey being released back into the wild."

Hope was named by the team at Sea Life Trust, the parent charity of the Cornish Seal Sanctuary. Andy Bool, head of the trust, was there at the release to wave farewell to Hope and the other seal pups as they made their way back into the water to continue life in the wild.

Zoe, from the sanctuary, was also on hand to ensure all six pups arrived at the beach and found their way into the sea safely.