[Gary Bagshawe]

Here are a couple or 3 shots of some of the damage done today in Sheffield during the stormy weather.

[P-E]

Sums up what it's been like around here and most of the UK today

[fionaB]

for once we escaped the wind..... mind you we had it while u lot down south didint! lol

looks nasty hope no one was hurt in the car!

cracking shots right time right place!

fi

[Gary Bagshawe]

Originally Posted by fionaB

for once we escaped the wind..... mind you we had it while u lot down south didint! lol

looks nasty hope no one was hurt in the car!

cracking shots right time right place!

fi

Not sure im so keen on bieng called from down south!!!!! Im a yorkshireman tha nows.
And im fairly sad, I go looking for this kinda thing, plenty of it about today as well.

[stepheno]

They had the Saab on Look North....how much did you cop for that shot, Gary

[Rob Barron]

If there had been anyone in that car hurt, there would be police cordoning all around it so I think we can safely assume it was unoccupied at the time. Bet that car's got a headache though!

Good day to go out if you've got an open fire at home and want some free firewood.... you'd get enough for the rest of winter.

On the tragic side of all this, I understand from the news that at least 7 people have lost their lives today due to the weather. Our thoughts are certainly with their families. I would though also like to put on record my HUGE admiration and respect for the members of the RNLI and the Coastguard service who pulled off some incredibly brave rescue work today, including winching 26 people off a ship to safety after which the ship sank so any hands left on board would certainly have been lost.

As I live in poole, the home and HQ of the RNLI, I feel strongly that this organisation do not get the recognition they deserve. They exist entirely from voluntary donations, even today, with not a penny support from the government despite the fact they save many hundreds of lives each and every year. Staffed by volunteers who give up their time and also take lower jobs than their skills deserve in order to be always available for the next rescue, they are unsung heroes of whom our nation should be hugely proud.

Cheers,
Rob

[fionaB]

well you are down south to me! lolol

Fi

[Rob Barron]

Well I definitely qualify as down south LOL. If you went any further south from me you'd get wet feet

[Angela]

Originally Posted by Rob Barron

They exist entirely from voluntary donations, even today, with not a penny support from the government despite the fact they save many hundreds of lives each and every year. Staffed by volunteers who give up their time and also take lower jobs than their skills deserve in order to be always available for the next rescue, they are unsung heroes of whom our nation should be hugely proud.

Cheers,
Rob

Hear hear Rob. Having grown up in a sea-side town I know very well the work these guys do and the risks they take every time they are called out.

[Rob Barron]

Angela, when I was doing my Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, I spent two weeks working on the Gorleston lifeboat just down the road from Great Yarmouth. It was an incredible two weeks and we got called out at least once every day.

I learnt just how unbelievably stupid holidaymakers can be when they get to the beach and decide to go for a sunbathing session on a floating lilo. We had to go out and pick up one guy and his girlfriend who had both floated out to sea, both had fallen asleep and they had woken up only when the beach was a VERY long swim away, a swim which neither of them would have been capable of making, especially on the ebbing tide. Fortunately the coastguard helicopter had spotted them and called us out. By the time we got there the woman was almost hysterical, the guy shaking with shock and both would have been taking a 90 degree, one-way swim had we not turned up.

We also had to go out to a RHIB on which some bright spark had decided to light an ordinary camping stove, a single ring jobby with a disposable cartridge... which promptly fell over, melted a hole in the side tubing and left them with just one other tube to use as a lifebuoy until we got out to them.... 5 miles from the harbour.

The thing is at the time I felt like we were just doing our jobs and these people were unfortunate to have got into this position.... me just being a teenager. In later years I have come to realise that they were not in the least unfortunate other than to have somehow completely taken leave of their senses when their ages reached double figures and now were putting other people's lives in danger to come and rescue them.

The lifeboat coxwain was VERY good at giving stern talkings to on the way back. It was quite fun seeing these numpties walking away on land with their tales between their legs looking very sheepish!

Cheers,
Rob

[Suicide Reject]

Good photos but scary to think that actually happened. Thankfully the weather ain't been that bad up here yet.