Denbighshire councillors on the beach with lifeguards ahead of peak season
Denbighshire councillors and RNLI lifeguard bosses are urging summer beach-goers in the county to stay safe as the charity’s peak lifeguard season kicks off this weekend.
From Saturday (2 July) the lifeguard service on beaches in Rhyl and Prestatyn will increase from a weekend only to a seven-days-a-week service ready for the busy summer school holiday period.
And today (Monday 27 June) Rhyl town and county councillor Dave Simmons, who is also Deputy Chairman of Rhyl RNLI, and Rhyl East councillor and former Rhyl Mayor Cllr Barry Mellor went along to Rhyl beach to meet the RNLI lifeguard team and watch them in training.
RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor for Denbighshire Matt Jessop, who is predicting a busy summer season, is urging beach visitors to Respect the Water and always visit a lifeguarded beach.
It is the first season RNLI lifeguards have been on the beaches of Denbighshire in a new seasonal service run in partnership between the charity that saves lives at sea and Denbighshire County Council.
Since May the lifeguards have been providing safety advice and assistance on Rhyl and Prestatyn beaches on weekends and have been involved in a number of incidents, including a joint rescue with Rhyl RNLI lifeboat volunteers earlier this month of a swimmer who had drifted about 700m offshore.
From Saturday (2 July) lifeguards will be on the two beaches daily between 10am and 6pm until the end of the season on 4 September.
Matt said: ‘We’re really pleased to be working with Denbighshire County Council and it was great that Cllr Simmons and Cllr Mellor came and met our team today.
‘We are coming towards the busiest period of the year on the beaches and our lifeguards will be on hand every day throughout the summer to provide information and advice on safety to visitors.
‘We advise people to choose a lifeguarded beach and to always swim between the red and yellow flags. We’ll also be working closely with the RNLI’s volunteer crew at Rhyl lifeboat station and other agencies to keep people safe.’
Huw Jones, Denbighshire County Council Lead Member for Community Development, added: ‘Both Rhyl and Prestatyn’s coastal resorts get extremely busy during the summer months, and we are pleased to be working in partnership with the RNLI to ensure that visitors have a fun and safe environment in order to enjoy our beaches.’
The RNLI operates a lifeguard service on 39 beaches across Wales and more than 220 across the UK. In 2015 the charity’s lifeguards responded to 815 incidents and assisted 901 people on Welsh beaches.
Fore more information and advice on all aspects of beach and coastal safety visit the RNLI’s Respect the Water campaign website at rnli.org/RespectTheWater.
Notes to editors:
The attached pictures show:
- Cllr Dave Simmons and Cllr Barry Mellor (centre) with RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor Matt Jessop (centre left), Rhyl RNLI Lifeboat Coxswain Martin Jones (centre right) and the Denbighshire RNLI lifeguard team. Credit RNLI/Chris Cousens
- Left to right: RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor Matt Jessop, Cllr Dave Simmons, Cllr Barry Mellor and Rhyl RNLI Lifeboat Coxswain Martin Jones. Credit RNLI/Chris Cousens
- RNLI lifeguard Simon Pilkington. Credit RNLI/Chris Cousens
- Denbighshire lifeguards will move to a daily service on Rhyl and Prestatyn beaches from Saturday (2 July). Credit RNLI/Chris Cousens
Interviews with RNLI lifeguard staff are available on request.
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For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Chris Cousens, RNLI Press Officer, Wales and West, on 01745 585162 or 07748 265496 or by email on [email protected]. Alternatively call the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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