Rev Mark sees guests walk out of his wedding – but with a good reason!

Glamorgan Star news 20/03/2023

2 minutes read

The bridge and groom pose on the D Class lifeboat. Photo: Kate James.

THE Rev Mark Broadway splits his time between saving souls in his day job – and saving lives at sea – as a crew member with Porthcawl RNLI.

So, when several guests walked out of his wedding ceremony on Saturday, 18th March, he knew they has a good reason.

Rev Mark was marrying Jessie Wilde in All Saint’s Church in Porthcawl when a report came in that two people were cut off by the incoming tide at Dunraven Bay, Southerndown.

The vicar, Rev Wayne Massey, had started the service by joking: “Switch off your phones, unless you’re lifeboat crew and might get a shout” – and 17 minutes into the ceremony that was exactly what happened.

The crew raced to the lifeboat station and launched the charity’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat Edna May and D Class lifeboat Hugo Missen. The lifeboats were launched after Porthcawl NCI had spotted two people trapped by the incoming tide at Southerndown and alerted HM Coastguard. Coastguard teams from Llantwit Major and Barry along with the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter based at St Athan were also tasked to the incident.

The crew of the Atlantic 85 lifeboat were first on scene and crew member Luke Anderson went ashore to reassure the casualties and let them know how they would be rescued. There was a large swell with waves breaking onto the shore so it was decided to call a Coastguard helicopter which located a rock slab close to Luke and the casualties. It landed and then picked up the trio and dropped them off in a field above the cliff top where the coastguard teams had secured a landing site.

Luke said: ‘Within the space of an hour I was sat in a church for one of the crew’s weddings, then I found myself on the lifeboat, followed by a short trip in a helicopter.”

Rev Mark Broadway said: “Thankfully I wasn’t on call during my wedding but many of the crew who were at our wedding were. It’s the first church service I was involved in where the pagers have gone off. We had asked guests to donate to our chosen charities rather than give gifts and the RNLI was one!”

“‘The D Class crew stopped off outside the church on their way back from Newton slipway to congratulate us just after the ceremony had finished. It was great to see the crew and as they had the D Class with them. It gave us a lovely opportunity to have a photo on the lifeboat.’

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