First RNLI Lifeguards Head For Wales

Pictured are Chris Payne, Pembrokeshire County Council Leisure Services Manager, John Broad, RNLI Deputy Divisional Inspector for Lifeguards, Lee Fisher, RNLI Lifeguard Services Manager, Councillor Rob Lewis, Cabinet Member for Sports, Leisure and Tourism at Pembrokeshire County Council.

Image by: RNLI

 

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by Daniell Rush

November 29, 2007

Pembrokeshire County Council is the first council in Wales to join forces with the RNLI to provide lifeguards on its beaches.

RNLI lifeguards will begin patrolling 12 beaches in the county from Poppet Sands to Amroth this coming summer.

The RNLI already operates over 70 lifeguard units throughout the south west and east of England, with plans afoot to double the number of lifeguard units in the next five years. Setting foot in Wales is an exciting move for the charity which already has 31 RNLI lifeboat stations in the country.

"The RNLI’s aim to provide a seamless rescue service from the beach to the open sea is being realised in Pembrokeshire, thanks to the forward-thinking council," said John Broad, Deputy Divisional Inspector for Lifeguards.

"We are delighted that Pembrokeshire County Council has taken steps to bring the RNLI’s quality training and equipment to its beaches which will enable us to make a significant difference in terms of safety. Last year RNLI lifeguards assisted more than 10,000 people at the seaside. With beaches becoming more crowded, patrolling lifeguards get to casualties faster which helps us to save even more lives.

"We are confident that by continuing and improving the lifeguard service in Pembrokeshire it will not only help us save lives but also prevent many other incidents from happening.’

Beaches to benefit from the RNLI’s lifeguard service include:

• Poppet Sands
• Newport Sands
• Whitesands
• Newgale
• Broadhaven North
• Dale
• Lydstep
• Tenby - South, North, and Castle
• Saundersfoot
• Amroth

Councillor Rob Lewis, Cabinet Member for Sports, Leisure and Tourism said Pembrokeshire County Council was very excited to be working with an internationally respected lifesaving charity such as the RNLI.

RNLI lifeguards will begin patrolling 12 beaches in the county from Poppet Sands to Amroth this coming summer.

Image by: RNLI

 

"We have been operating Beach lifeguard services in Pembrokeshire for over 20 years and have built up a service, which covers more beaches and employs more lifeguards than any other county in Wales - possibly even in the UK. It seemed like a natural progression to form this relationship with the RNLI to integrate completely with all the emergency responders."

Pembrokeshire County Council currently employs around 45 lifeguards on its busiest beaches for the ten-week high season running from the late June until the end of August. The RNLI will provide a like for like service and will be liasing with those employees as the recruitment drive gets underway in the New Year.

This is a community partneship between the RNLI and Pembrokeshire County Council and as a charity, the RNLI relies on voluntary contributions and legacies for income.The RNLI will be relying on the continued support of the public as it brings this new venture into frution.

The RNLI is a registered charity that continues to rely on voluntary contributions, corporate donations and legacies for income and receives no UK Government funding.

The RNLI’s annual running costs are over £122M – approximately £335,000 per day.

There are over 230 RNLI lifeboat stations across the UK and Ireland, which are operated by 4,800 RNLI lifeboat crew members, of which 95 per cent are volunteers.