AN ABERYSTWYTH RNLI lifeboat volunteer went without sleep for 36 hours to help rescue people from the severe floods in Cumbria caused by Storm Desmond over the weekend.

A ‘major incident’ was declared on Saturday as 340mm of rain fell in 24 hours – the previous record being 316.4mm over the same period – and on Monday, it was announced that a body was found in the River Kent, near Kendal.

Gemma Gill, one of the station’s helms and one of three crew members who are part of the RNLI Flood Rescue Team, travelled the 190 miles to Cumbria on Saturday evening as the only member from Aberystwyth who was available for deployment.

Gemma, who also works for the Children’s Disabled Team at Ceredigion County Council, said that after waking up at 6.15am on Saturday, she left Aberystwyth at around 5pm after receiving a request for assistance, working through the night in Kendal and throughout Sunday in Carlisle, only being able to get some sleep at 8pm on Sunday after being awake for around 36 hours.

“It was horrendous to see,” Gemma told the Cambrian News this week, reflecting on what she saw.

See this week’s Aberystwyth edition for the full story, in shops now or online by clicking the Digital Editions tab at the top of the page