Gail Goldsmith has praised the work of the Sidmouth Lifeboat team after she got into difficulty

A grateful Boxing Day swimmer has thanked a lifeboat hero for lending her a helping hand when she got into difficulty while enjoying the festive tradition in Sidmouth.

Gail Goldsmith praised Sidmouth Lifeboat for coming to her aid when she lost her footing in shallow water.

The Sidmouth Running Club member said: “When I tried to get out of the water, I kept standing up, being pulled back down, standing up, being pulled back down over and over again and this was within a few feet of the shore in quite shallow water.

“Just as I was beginning to think I might never reach dry land before the New Year, the hand of one of the lifeboat men, a very handsome one to boot, reached down and pulled me onto the beach. Was I relieved!

“I have always admired the work of our lifeboat crews, but it was always a sort of remote ‘intellectual’ appreciation. I now admire them from the heart as well.”

Mrs Goldsmith encouraged anyone who is assisted by the lifeboat to make a donation and said she will be dropping by to donate £50 into its charity bucket.

See our gallery from this year’s Boxing Day Swim here