RNLI lifeguards in Bude volunteered over the extended Easter holiday to keep beaches open, with several first aid incidents keeping them busy.

Small waves meant the RNLI volunteer lifeguards had a quiet week in terms of rescues, but were kept busy with first aids and lost children.

Widemouth lifeguards responded to an unresponsive casualty in the car park; the lifeguards had to put their recent first aid training into use and were able to get the casualty breathing again before handing over to the paramedics. Another person also dislocated their shoulder during the week, keeping lifeguards on their toes.

As the main summer season comes closer, four of the local lifeguards have taken to the road, giving talks to schoolchildren all over Cornwall. They have been into 35 primary schools to present talks about beach safety and how to stay safe whilst in the sea, as well as answering any questions the children may have.

Along with school talks, two other RNLI lifeguards, Ben and Richie, will be walking around Bude town on Tuesday, May 9 in a bid to raise awareness of the RNLI’s Respect the Water campaign, and encourage the community shops to help publicise the campaign.

Ben and Richie will be handing out stickers, giving tips and advice on how to stay safe in the water and providing an opportunity for the local community to attend a training session on how to give out safety messages. They would love to speak to local people, so please say ‘hello’.

Summerleaze and Widemouth beaches will be lifeguarded full time from April 28 through to the end of October. The sun may be out, but the water is still cold, so if anyone is thinking about heading into the sea, make sure a wetsuit is worn and there are plenty of warm clothes to change into after.