The RNLI has unveiled a new campaign to save lives this summer.
The Beachwise campaign encourages people to swim at beaches with lifeguard cover. New safety advertisements with the message "Be Seen to be Beachwise" have been placed on buses and billboards across the Westcountry.
Steve Wills, the RNLI's beach safety manager, said: "People are 500 times less likely to drown at a lifeguarded beach than at a beach without lifeguards, and Beachwise is a national campaign that addresses this. Research shows that only 10 per cent of beachgoers consider safety when visiting the seaside. We hope to increase this by running the campaign throughout the summer holidays, specifically targeting families."
The campaign was unveiled yesterday at Perranporth, on the North Cornwall coast.
Aerial banners will be flown across the region. Mr Wills added: "Beachgoers can ask lifeguards for advice about the safest areas to swim, and look and listen out for the various safety announcements and flags that lifeguards use to alert everyone."
Barry Heathfield, RNLI area lifeguard manager for Dorset, said: "I'd recommend anyone planning to swim at the beach makes sure that they visit one with lifeguards. RNLI lifeguards are on beaches in the South West every day until the end of summer, from 10am until 6pm."
Linear Mode
