Women in the South Hams are being urged to become lifesaving rope rescue technicians for HM Coastguard.

The Breaking Boundaries scheme, based in the south-west, brings in emergency organisations from around the UK collaborating with local instructors to give female responders the expertise and confidence to be at the forefront of operations.

Among those benefitting are Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs), who have been selected for training to boost their skills as qualified rope rescue technicians with the potential to pass on their knowledge to others.

Such specialist CROs are able to abseil down cliffs, for example, to help people stuck on rocks or trapped by the tide.

They are supported at the top by fellow CROs trained in using winch systems.

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