Blackpool woman swims through freezing lake to save trapped seagull

What is the background?

Stanley Park Lake sits in the centre of Blackpool, Lancashire, in north-west England. Wildlife volunteers regularly check the lake for injured birds. Seagull rescue UK cases like this depend on fast reporting and swimmers willing to enter cold water.

What happened?

On April 18, 2026, wildlife helper Stuart Beaton noticed a seagull that had not moved for five hours. The bird’s leg was caught in fishing line, and a hook held it near the water’s edge.

Beaton alerted Brambles Wildlife Rescue. Staff tried official channels to reach the bird by boat, but no boat arrived in time. The charity called Lorraine Bullar, a local woman experienced with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

How did it happen?

Bullar put on a wetsuit and swam about 15 metres into the cold lake. She reached the trapped gull and carried it back to shore under one arm.

Beaton then carefully removed the fishing hook from the bird’s leg. Brambles Wildlife Rescue staff nicknamed the gull “Patience” and began treatment with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication.

Mel Greenhalgh of Brambles Wildlife Rescue said, “That’s no mean feat, swimming with a gull under your arm.” Greenhalgh added that the bird “only chewed on her wetsuit” during the rescue.

Why does it matter?

Fishing line and hooks injure large numbers of waterbirds every year in the UK. Quick reporting by one volunteer, combined with a trained swimmer’s help, saved this bird’s life.

Greenhalgh called the rescue “a smashing piece of teamwork” between the person who spotted the gull, the charity that coordinated help, and the swimmer who reached it. The case shows how community networks respond fast when official resources are not available.

What were the key results?

• One seagull rescued from Stanley Park Lake, Blackpool, on April 18, 2026
• Bird trapped in fishing line for more than five hours before rescue
• Lorraine Bullar swam approximately 15 metres through cold water to reach it
• Stuart Beaton removed the fishing hook after the bird reached shore
• Brambles Wildlife Rescue named the gull “Patience” and began veterinary treatment
• Bird received antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication after rescue
• Three people and one charity coordinated the response within hours of the sighting

What happens next?

Brambles Wildlife Rescue will continue monitoring Patience’s recovery before considering a release date.

The charity plans to keep raising awareness about discarded fishing line and its risk to waterbirds.

Bullar said she remains ready to help with future water rescues if wildlife volunteers need her.

Local anglers’ groups may expand efforts to collect and recycle used fishing line near Stanley Park Lake. Readers who want to spot injured or distressed waterbirds early, before a rescue like this one becomes urgent, often use birdwatching binoculars to check nesting and feeding areas from a safe distance — our guide explains what the numbers mean and what to spend.

Small Good Things also covered a Grimsby woman wrongly accused of harming a seagull chick she was actually rescuing — another case of a bystander stepping in to help an injured bird, this time with a happy ending after a false viral claim was publicly corrected.