The Beach Lifeguard award is regarded locally as one of the toughest awards to get and also one of the most useful. It therefore seemed like the obvious challenge to set for the students of Budehaven's BTEC Diploma Course in Adventurous Activities together with two members of staff from the school's PE department. The students have been working through a two-year course at Budehaven Community School and Sports College where instead of studying traditional A Levels they have worked on a more vocational course better suited to their learning styles. Mr Simon Hammond, their course co-ordinator, said that this particular course motivates, matures and provides students with the qualifications and university entrance points that they need for the future. Although the course is not all about getting to

university, many of this years students have finished with the highest of grades and are planning to do just that. In addition the students have picked up skills in rock climbing and kayak coaching, many becoming BCU paddlesport coaches and most recently their NARs Beach Lifeguard Award. Thanks have been extended to the NARs training team at Bude Surf Lifesaving Club — Adrian Parsons and Johnny Stephens — and examiners Les Freke and Guilliver Robinson. Mr Hammond said: "This NARs course has traditionally only been open to members of Surf Lifesaving Clubs. Its with great thanks to Bude SLSC that they ran this experiment for non-members and it's hoped that this course will now be available to Budehaven's students on an annual basis."