Pro Wakeboarders and headline acts including Plan B, N-Dubz, Maximo Park, Zane Lowe, Feeder, and Huw Stephens all showed their support for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) this weekend at Wakestock 2010.
The RNLI was the nominated charity of the three-day festival that took place in Abersoch, North Wales, raising vital funds for the charity that saves lives at sea.
Organisers of Europe’s largest wakeboard music festival kindly donated a wakeboard signed by world-class professional boarders including current World Champion Aaron Rathy, European Champion Dan Nott and a host of musical and TV/radio talent appearing at Wakestock 2010. The board was raffled off on Sunday.
A team of volunteers including RNLI lifeboat crews and lifeguards were on-hand throughout the weekend, assisting festival goers with setting their tents up, protecting them from the blistering sun with sun cream and highlighting key tips for remaining safe when on the beach or using the sea.
In 2009, RNLI lifeguards assisted 15,957 people from the 150 lifeguard units around the coast of the UK.
DJ Huw Stephens who was broadcasting for BBC Radio 1 and S4C, in addition to DJ’ing at Wakestock, commented:
“Wakestock is all about the Pro’s on the water so it’s only natural that the RNLI, whose world-class volunteer lifeboat crews and lifeguards save so many lives each year, was the nominated charity of this year’s brilliant festival. Great wakeboarding, great music and a great charity!”
The cost of training and equipping RNLI lifeguards is reliant on voluntary donations, as the RNLI does not seek any UK government funding.
Charlotte Bird, RNLI events manager for Wales & West, was thrilled with the success of the weekend and said:
”It was fantastic for the RNLI to be given the opportunity to be part of Wakestock 2010. As more and more people are using the beaches and sea for their leisure and water sports, RNLI lifeboat crews and lifeguards are being called upon more often. Being able to highlight key safety advice, particularly to a young crowd, really enables us to assist in preventing people getting into trouble in the first place. My sincere thanks go to Helen Griffiths, Wakestock’s Festival Director, and all those involved in organising Wakestock. Everyone was brilliant.”
