Stay safe on an RNLI lifeguarded beach during Broadstairs Folk Week

With sunshine forecast it is advisable to find refuge and shade throughout the day in one of the many cafes or bars along the seafront, particularly between the hours of 11am – 3pm when UV penetration is at its strongest.

Branded as a week of ‘folk music by the sea’, the festival attracts people of all ages and generations to let loose in quintessential English seaside town fashion.

Nevertheless, the RNLI would like to remind those getting involved in the festivities to stay safe throughout the weekend and to approach the lifeguards at Viking Bay and its surrounding beaches for any local information or help that they may require. The lifeguard service will operate between the usual hours of 10am – 6pm.

During folk week the RNLI also advises families to agree a meeting point with their children, in addition to taking a photo of their child to provide as a search aid, in the event that they were to go missing. Families can also visit the lifeguard unit stationed on the beach, where there will be lifeguards ready to hand out wristbands for children, with a parent or guardian’s contact details.

In the event that your child does go missing:

• Calmly check your surroundings, ensuring other children remain supervised
• Inform an RNLI lifeguard or the police immediately – these are services that are equipped and experienced in dealing with missing children
• Let all searchers know once the child is found

RNLI Media contacts

• Taylor Johnson, Lifeguard Press Officer (Summer 2018) for the South East 07785 296252 [email protected]

• Paul Dunt, Regional Media Officer (South East), 0207 6207426, 07785 296252 [email protected]

• For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789

Key facts about the RNLI

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.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.