Ceredigion County Council is the second council in Wales to join forces with the RNLI to provide lifeguards on its beaches. Following a successful first season in Pembrokeshire last year, RNLI lifeguards will now be introduced on eight Ceredigion beaches between Borth and Aberporth.

The RNLI already provides lifeguards on more than 100 beaches in the south west of England, Norfolk and Wales and from this summer will take over the responsibility for patrolling beaches in the North. Setting foot in Wales for the first time last summer was an an exciting move for the charity which already has 31 RNLI lifeboat stations in the country. RNLI lifeguards experienced a busy first summer with 509 incidents and 561 people assisted on 12 of Pembrokeshire’s beaches between Poppit Sands and Amroth.

The RNLI is delighted that Ceredigion County Council has come on board to provide cover on beaches in, Borth, Clarach, Aberystwyth North, Aberystwyth South, New Quay, Llangrannog, Tresaith and Aberporth. The service will run between 11 July and 6 September.

Philip Davies, RNLI Lifeguard Deputy Divisional Manager for Wales says: ‘The RNLI’s aim is to provide a seamless rescue service from the beach to the open sea and that is being realised in Ceredigion, thanks to the forward-thinking council. The RNLI already has a number of lifeboat stations in the county, and volunteers crews will be working closely with the new lifeguards to achieve our our aim. We are thrilled that Ceredigion County Council has taken steps to bring the RNLI’s quality training and equipment to its beaches which will enable us to make a significant difference in terms of safety.

‘Last year, RNLI lifeguards assisted more than 10,000. With beaches becoming more crowded, patrolling lifeguards get to casualties faster which helps us to save even more lives. We are confident that by continuing and improving the lifeguard service in Ceredigion it will not only help us save lives but also prevent many other incidents from happening.’ Councillor Eurfyl Evans, Ceredigion County Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for Economic Development, Tourism and Europe, says: ‘Ceredigion County Council prides itself on the standard of its beaches and the services it provides for beach users. We are committed to ensuring the safety of beach users - be they residents or visitors - and we now look forward to working in partnership with the RNLI to ensure the continuing development of the beach lifeguard service in Ceredigion.’ Ceredigion County Council used to employ around 25 lifeguards on its busiest beaches between July and the beginning of September. The RNLI will provide a like for like service and will be liasing with indivduals previously employed by Ceredigion County Council as its recruitment drive gets underway.

The lifeguard posts will be funded by Ceredigion County Council, while the extensive training and equipment needed by the lifeguards will be paid for by the RNLI. As a charity which depends on voluntary contributions and legacies for its income, the RNLI will be relying on the continued support of the public to help fund this new venture.

Lifeguards interested in working for the RNLI should log onto www.rnli.org.uk/jobs for more information.