Dolphin volunteer's mermaid walk

Michelle is raising funds to deal with future dolphin strandings

A volunteer involved in the operation to save dolphins caught up in a mass stranding in Cornwall is now raising funds to deal with future incidents.

A total of 26 dolphins died when they became trapped in a Cornish creek in June.

Michelle Robinson who is trained as a marine mammal medic was called to the scene and said it was a "traumatic" experience.

She is planning to fundraise by walking the Cornish coast dressed as a mermaid.

We lost the dolphins, they were suffering quite a bit Michelle Robinson

The 33-year-old from Bude and her friend Claire Topham, from Somerset, are planning the sponsored walk on 26 and 27 July to raise money for British Divers Marine Life Rescue.

The charity was instrumental in the operation to try to save some of the dolphins stranded near St Mawes.

Michelle is now one of a network of volunteers around the country who are on standby to help animals who get stuck along the coastline.

On the day of the mass stranding she was alerted by text message.

"It was quite traumatic," she said.

"I'd only handled a single dolphin stranding before that. We lost the dolphins we were trying to save. They were suffering quite a bit."

She and her friend are planning to walk from St Ives to Penzance.

Post-mortem examinations of some of 26 dolphins found dead in June have revealed no clues as to the cause of the mass stranding.

They appear to have been well fed and there were no obvious signs of disease or poisoning, results showed.