18 year old RNLI lifeguard praised for rescuing young girl at Weymouth beach
A teenage lifeguard has been praised for her quick-thinking after rescuing a young girl who had swum out of her depth at a local beach
Last updated 7th Jul 2025
18 year old RNLI lifeguard Molly Horton was patrolling just outside of the bathing area on Weymouth beach on Friday 4th July, when she was alerted to a young girl struggling out of her depth in the water.
Molly said: "I heard a shout for help and turned to look and saw a very young girl with her hand in the air struggling to stay afloat. She had swum out of her depth and was panicking in the water.
"I quickly covered the 5 metres she was away from me during which time she was under the water, for only a few seconds before I pulled her onto the rescue board and paddled quickly to shore."
She was met by her lifeguarding colleagues on the beach, who assisted in providing casualty care while the emergency services arrived. She was transported her to hospital with her father for treatment.
Alice Higgins, RNLI Lead Lifeguard supervisor said: "This was a serious incident, which thanks to Molly’s quick actions, was managed really well by Molly and the rest of the team.
"Thankfully the family were at a lifeguarded beach, the incident happened around high tide when the water can get very deep very quickly so we’d urge parents to stay with their children and for those less able to stay within their depth.
"Its looking like another week of dry and settled weather and we’re expecting our beaches in Dorset to be busy. Please head to a lifeguarded beach, swim between flags and if you find yourself in trouble, Float to Live, knowing this technique and encouraging your family to practice, could save your life." Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.