The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Her Majesty’s (HM) Coastguard
are calling for families to take care at the coast during the school holidays, as new figures released show RNLI lifeguards saved the lives of 54 children and teenagers last summer.
Of those lives saved, 64per cent (35) were aged 12 or under, while RNLI lifeguards also came to the aid of another 12,344 under-18s between June and September 2020.
With school children in England breaking up this week and joining those from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland already on their summer holidays, the RNLI and Coastguard are reminding families to be aware of the risks, and have launched a new animated tv advert to help young children understand how to stay safe at the coast.
Children should always be supervised at all times.
For more information on beach safety this summer, see the website RNLI.org/BeachUk2021
Nick Ayres
RNLI Water Safety Lead
