The Moelfre RNLI Lifeboat crew, North Wales Police and a national water safety campaigner recently visited local primary schools warning pupils of the dangers of venturing onto the sea and rivers.
Moelfre RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Rod Pace, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat crewman Dave Massey, along with PCSO Iona Beckmann and Debbie Turnbull, who lost her son in a tragic drowning accident, visited schools in Moelfre and Llanbedrgoch on Anglesey.
Debbie Turnbull’s 15 year old son, Christopher, drowned in a river at Capel Curig in 2006. Since then she has campaigned tirelessly to promote water and sea safety message, having talked to over 45,000 children about the dangers since the accident occurred.
Moelfre RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, Rod Pace, said:
‘We would like to thank Iona and Debbie for asking us to contribute in these talks. It is vitally important to educate the children and their parents in the dangers of the sea. Last year Moelfre Lifeboat volunteers dealt with 68 rescues and saved 27 lives. Around 15% of these incidents involved rescuing people from inflatable’s being blown out to sea.’
The RNLI sea safety messages for inflatable’s are:
- If available, always swim/go to a lifeguarded Beach.
- Do not use inflatable’s in the sea they are designed for the swimming pool.
- If you must use inflatable’s make sure they are attached to a person on the shore with a rope, so they don’t blow out to sea and stay close to the shore.
- Never use an inflatable if the wind is blowing offshore.
- Always tell someone where you are going.
- If you get into trouble on your dinghy always stay with the dinghy and wave and shout for help.
- If you get into trouble or see someone else in trouble at the seaside dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
PCSO Beckmann said:
‘As the long school holidays approach the visit served as a timely reminder to young people. Moelfre and Benllech is a coastal area and I want young people to be aware of the dangers of playing near rivers and the sea’.
