A loyal, longstanding lifeboat veteran nearly had his wedding put on hold thanks to a last minute callout by the coastguard. Whilst his colleagues answered the call of duty, lifesaver Keith Charlton from Llandudno felt it was best not to abandon his new wife Sue so early into the marriage!

Keith has served with the RNLI for over 40 years and currently is a key member of the shore crew responsible for lifeboat launches.

As the guests gathered to enjoy the reception the sound of pagers filled the air as crew members were tasked to launch by the HM Coastguard Holyhead.

Rapidly reporting to the Llandudno boathouse, the crew of the all-weather lifeboat William F Yates launched at 4.50pm to meet and assist a 50-foot powerboat which was experiencing mechanical difficulties in the Conwy Estuary.

Arriving on scene the all-weather lifeboat Coxswain Graham Heritage made the decision that undertaking a tow was both necessary and the safest way to assist the casualty vessel, the towed vessel was therefore returned to the safety of Conwy Marina a short distance away.

Bridegroom Keith Charlton later commented: "We are so used to being on call 24/7 ready to respond to the pager night and day. However, on this occasion Sue had me handcuffed and would not let me go on the shout!"

Photo: RNLI Llandudno.