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Burnham
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News Archive
Published:
20 January, 2008
Burnham-On-Sea
hovercraft rescues two children stranded in mud
 Burnham's
Light Of Elizabeth hovercraft flew to the rescue of two children
in difficulty on the mudflats at Weston-super-Mare on Sunday (January
20th).
The hovercraft, run by Burnham-based charity BARB, had been
taking part in a training exercise on the beach at Uphill when
the alarm was raised by Coastguards who spotted the girls in distress.
Hovercraft
Operations Manager Pete Emery flew to the pair - both aged 13
- and brought them back to the safety of the shore.
 The
two children, Faith Bowerman and Shannon Brook, from Quedgeley
in Gloucester, had been walking with their family when they had
sunk into the mud. They were unhurt, but shaken by the experience.
Faith's
mother, Angela Bowerman, said: "We are so grateful that the
hovercraft was nearby at the time and we were impressed with how
quickly the crew carried out the rescue."
"I
had no idea that the mudflats here can be so dangerous - the warning
sign nearby had fallen off its post."
The Light Of Elizabeth is one of two rescue hovercrafts operated
by BARB, a registered charity, which is funded entirely by contributions
from the public.
Our
photos show the Light Of Elizabeth hovercraft in action at Weston
on Sunday and (above) a TV image of the two rescued children with
their mother Angela Bowerman
These
were the scenes on Weston beach, with Brean Down in the background,
on Sunday when a Coastguard training exercise turned into a real
rescue
The
Light Of Elizabeth is BARB's smaller, second hovercraft which
operates alongside its flagship craft, The Spirit Of Lelaina.
This
was the view from the Light Of Elizabeth as it flew across the
mudflats at Weston, with Uphill in the distance, during Sunday's
rescue
RELATED
LINKS:
Burnham-On-Sea Hovercraft Official Web site
BBC Online coverage of this incident
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