Pembrokeshire County Council is the first council in Wales to benefit from the RNLI Hit the Surf campaign designed to educate children on beach safety. It has been taking place on Tenby South Beach this week and ends today (Friday). The Hit the Surf initiative gives school children, aged eight to 12, a unique and exciting opportunity to take part in a course combining theory and practical lessons in surf skills and beach safety. Highly trained RNLI lifeguards run the course, giving the children real examples of life- threatening situations and teaching them how to get out of trouble in and around the sea. Schools benefiting from the programme include Lamphey CP School, Sageston Primary School, St. Teilos VRC School, Ysgol Bro Dewi and Anglesey Primary School. RNLI divisional beach safety manager, Dave Gorman, said: "Last year, surfing and body boarding accounted for nearly half of the major incidents RNLI lifeguards attended on UK beaches. Our Hit the Surf scheme aims to develop children's surf-based skills and make them more aware of beach safety. Experienced RNLI lifeguards teach the youngsters crucial beach safety skills. The course is great fun, so the children are learning essential safety lessons and enjoying themselves at the same time. "Half-day and full-day sessions are available and include safety talks, beach activities and surf skills advice. By the end of a session, the children should be able to recognise the red and yellow beach flags - and know what they mean, understand the role of a lifeguard, have improved confidence in the water and know what to do should they find themselves in trouble." Since the scheme began in 2005, more than 2,000 children from over 70 schools have taken part. This is the first year the campaign has come to Wales.
