RNLI: Staffordshire man and boy ‘would have died without rescuers’

Mr Hodson, of Eccleshall, had walked out to sea for a swim with his niece and a friend’s child in September 2022 on a “calm and beautiful day.”

But he said when they turned around, they realised they were “surrounded by water,” and the strength of the current meant he could not swim against it.

His niece managed to get back to the beach to raise the alarm, but Mr Hodson said he was “exhausted,” out of his depth, and “giving everything” to keep himself and his friend’s son afloat.

“It was a huge relief when I saw the boat coming towards us,” said Mr Hodson, who is backing a fundraising campaign for the charity in its 200th year.

“I had nothing left, physically or mentally – without the crew, we wouldn’t have survived.”