Barry Dock RNLI and RNLI South East Wales Lifeguards have developed a new volunteer role, after identifying the growing challenge of large numbers of lost children at Whitmore Bay during busy periods.
The new pilot scheme forms part of the wider Barry Dock Lifeboat Station OneCrew approach and aims to provide additional support to lifeguards during peak beach days.
The role has been designed to support RNLI lifeguards during particularly busy periods on the beach, helping free them up to remain focused on keeping people safe in and around the water.
On hot sunny days like this Bank Holiday, Barry Island beach can become extremely busy very quickly, with RNLI lifeguards sometimes dealing with upwards of 50 lost children in a single day. The new role has been introduced to help ensure lifeguards can keep their attention on the water, watching swimmers and responding to incidents if needed.
Nine trained volunteers are involved in the pilot scheme, with all volunteers having completed training and DBS checks ahead of the launch. The volunteers will be based in a gazebo alongside the RNLI lifeguards and will act as the main point of contact for missing children on the beach. They will also patrol the beach, provide general water safety advice and hand out lost children wristbands.
The volunteers will be easily recognisable in bright red RNLI caps and will all carry radios to remain in constant contact with RNLI lifeguards. Parents and carers using the lost children wristbands, will be able to write a contact number on the band, helping volunteers reunite children and families much more quickly if they become separated on the beach.
The volunteers are not trained to enter the water or carry out rescues, and any child missing for more than 20 minutes, or believed to have last been seen in the water, will immediately become the responsibility of the RNLI lifeguards.
The support team will particularly operate during periods of hot weather, exceptionally busy beach days and around high and low tides, when visitor numbers at Barry Island often increase significantly.
Matt Childs, RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor, said “Barry Island is an incredibly busy beach during the summer months and on some days our lifeguards can be dealing with large numbers of lost children alongside everything else happening on the beach.”
“Our lifeguards’ priority must always be keeping their eyes on the water and watching over people enjoying the sea. This new volunteer support role is designed to help with that by supporting families, helping reunite lost children quickly and providing an extra visible safety presence on the beach.”
The RNLI is encouraging anyone visiting the coast this half term week and throughout the summer, to choose a lifeguarded beach and swim between the red and yellow flags.
If you find yourself struggling in the water, remember Float to Live:
- Tilt your head back and put your ears in the water
- Try to stay calm and try to control your breathing
- Make like a starfish and move your hands to help you stay afloat
- It’s OK if your legs sink because we all float differently
With warm weather forecast and thousands expected to visit Barry Island over the coming days, the RNLI is looking forward to welcoming people to the beach and helping everyone enjoy the coast safely. Visitors are also being encouraged to help look after the coastline by taking litter home or using the bins provided.
And remember, if you see someone else struggling in the water, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.
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