RNLI lifeguards set to return to Welsh beaches for Easter holidays
RNLI lifeguards will return to safety duty on seven Welsh beaches over Easter as the charity urges visitors to take care at the seaside.
Lifeguards have completed all their training and will be back on Tenby South Beach and Whitesands Beach in Pembrokeshire, Three Cliffs Bay on Gower, Aberavon Beach in Port Talbot, Coney Beach and Trecco Bay in Porthcawl and Whitmore Bay on Barry Island over the holiday period ready to offer safety advice and assistance to people venturing to the coast.
Three Cliffs Bay on Gower, where RNLI lifeguards were introduced for the first time in 2016, will see the return of safety patrols from Saturday (8 April). Lifeguards there will be on duty every day between 10am and 6pm throughout the Easter school holidays until Sunday April 23. The service will again be part of a wider community safety plan for the Three Cliffs Bay area and work on a range of community engagement, education and water safety initiatives will continue alongside the lifeguard service.
Whitesands Beach in St Davids, which saw its season extended to cover the entire Easter school holidays for the first time last year, will again have lifeguards on duty for the whole Easter fortnight, between 10am and 6pm each day.
The other beaches - Tenby South Beach, Aberavon Beach, Trecco Bay, Coney Beach and Whitmore Bay – will have a safety service provided for the four days of the bank holiday Easter weekend between Friday 14 April and Monday 17 April.
Rob Steele, RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor, said: ‘It’s always an exciting time of year when our lifeguards begin their safety service and our team are trained and ready to go.
‘It’s great that so many people make the most of the better weather to visit the coast over Easter, but we urge people to respect the water and visit a lifeguarded beach, where there are trained professionals to help keep you and your group safe.
‘Even though the weather is warming up, the water temperatures at this time of year remains very cold, so anyone thinking of venturing into the water should remember to wear a good wetsuit and be aware of the dangers of cold water shock.
‘Conditions can also be changeable so please bring appropriate clothing and be ready for all weathers and if you see someone in trouble in the water, don’t attempt to rescue them yourself, as you could also be putting yourself in more danger. Alert lifeguards if you are on a lifeguarded beach or call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.’
RNLI lifeguards will patrol 38 beaches across Wales in 2017. Figures released last week showed lifeguards across the country responded to 1,271 incidents and rescued or assisted 1,436 people in 2016.
Notes to editors:
The attached picture shows an RNLI lifeguard in action
For more information please contact Chris Cousens, RNLI Press Officer, Wales and West, on 07748 265496 or 01745 585162 or by email on [email protected].
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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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