• LOCAL HERO
Seasoned RNLI volunteer Gemma Gill saves lives in her spare time
Sailing has always been in my blood. i was born in the seaside town of north berwick, scotland. My parents were keen sailors and, when i was a baby, they’d pop me safely in a basket on their boat, before heading out to sea. i loved the feeling of wind in my face and being out in the fresh air. aged 16, i crewed on the tall ships and have fantastic memories of sailing around the Uk and europe. I can be helming a lifeboat with a helicopter hovering overhead while a casualty is pulled to safety in choppy seas. i joined the royal national lifeboat institution when i went to aberystwyth University, as i’d always been passionate about the charity’s work. i discovered the training was exceptional. after qualifying as a crew member, i learnt to helm the lifeboat and, later, drive the lifeboat tractor. after graduating, i stayed in aberystwyth for 18 years, juggling my rnli duties with jobs in teaching and social services.
I love the diversity of the rnli. Volunteers come from all walks of life, including mechanics, farmers, accountants and paramedics. they are all different genders and nationalities. We are like the largest family in the Uk, working closely together and relying on each other. there is a huge bond of trust between volunteers. the moment the pager beeps is always an adrenaline rush. friends and colleagues soon got used to me disappearing erratically during meetings and meals out. i’ve attended many memorable, often dangerous, calls. two of those featured on Saving Lives at Sea – a bbc series about rnli rescues. one very dark, stormy night in 2009, I arrived at aberystwyth lifeboat station to hear terrible screaming. it turned out that a man had been washed off the harbour wall, where huge waves were breaking. the sea was really rough and, before the lifeboat went out, we were briefed about what to do if the vessel capsized. thankfully, minutes later, the police informed us that the man had been washed up inside the harbour and was alive. It’s very special to meet those who wouldn’t have survived if we hadn’t rescued them. i find it so humbling when they shake my hand, or introduce me to their children. today, I operate boats in rivers, encountering hazards from cars to lamp posts, bins to barbed wire, and even the odd dead sheep. it’s part of my work for the rnli’s flood rescue team, which i was asked to join in 2015. our role is to help carry out search and rescue operations in the Uk, wherever severe flooding puts lives at risk. People are normally frightened and upset about leaving their homes and belongings, particularly cherished family photographs. however, with water levels rising, it’s our job to evacuate the occupants safely and swiftly. a couple of call-outs have occurred during the festive season and to see christmas trees floating in people’s murky, waterlogged living rooms is heartbreaking. last year, I became one of only 14 full-time lifeboat trainers in the country. i'm based at the rnli headquarters in Poole, Dorset, and my role involves training lifeboat crew volunteers. i find it a privilege to support the new generation coming through. it’s like no other job in the world. Feeling inspired to become a volunteer for the rnli? Visit rnli.org/volunteer