May 31, 2018 - 1545 views
With summer on the way it’s expected that record numbers of people will visit Colwyn Bay this year. With water safety very much front-of-mind, Colwyn Bay Watersports and Conwy Borough Council have teamed up with a number of key partners to promote surf life-saving and the possible setting up of voluntary life guards on the town’s golden sands.
By working in conjunction with Surf Lifesaving Association Wales, RNLI and Outdoor Partnership the organisations will hold an open meeting held at Porth Eirias on Friday 1st June between 6 and 8pm to assess public support for the idea. This includes a presentation from Surf Lifesaving Association of Wales.
To help people get a feel for what to expect there will be life-saving taster sessions for all ages held on Saturday 2nd June during the Colwyn Bay Blast and Beach Sports Extravaganza Day at Porth Eirias. Surf Lifesaving will be one of the activities taking place between 10am and 4pm with the Surf Lifesaving Association of Wales.
If there is enough interest a beach lifeguard course will be run for a number of weeks at Colwyn Bay Watersports. It will be a great opportunity for local residents to gain an internationally recognised professional qualification. It is also hoped that participation in the course will eventually lead to the setting up of a permanent surf lifesaving club.
The sport is fairly unique in that the competition element closely mirrors the activities carried out by professional lifeguards working on duty beach patrols. It involves an understanding of beach safety, weather and tide, water-based rescues and first aid.
Surf Lifesaving Association of Wales and the RNLI are heavily committed to supporting the scheme in North Wales. There is a support package including free training and equipment on offer for clubs who affiliate and are keen to become involved. A number of other coastal areas in North Wales are working along similar lines and it is hoped that in the near future, local clubs will be able to meet up, share skills and compete against each other from time to time.
