Bridlington lifeguards launch fundraising appeal amid summer holiday warnings

The RNLI is sending out its own call for help, as it launches an appeal to raise £35,000 to fund new kit for its lifeguards in Bridlington.

The charity’s lifeguards are already at their posts on Bridlington North and South beaches keeping a daily watch between 10am and 6pm.

It comes after research commissioned by the RNLI revealed that over half of people in the north of England would follow a potentially life-threatening instinct if they fell unexpectedly into water.

With an influx of visitors expected in August, the charity is reminding people to fight their instincts and remember one simple skill – floating – that could save them from drowning.

The charity says that sudden immersion in cold water puts people at severe risk of suffering cold water shock, which in turn triggers the instinctive but life-threatening reaction to gasp uncontrollably and swim hard, which can quickly lead to drowning.

Mike Tipton, Professor of Human and Applied Physiology, explains:

The charity hopes that up-to-date rescue kit will enable them to save more lives in future.

It says that new equipment would provide the lifeguards with 'extra peace of mind' and enable them to focus on their role of saving lives and preventing people getting into difficulty.

The fundraising appeal will run until 31 December 2017.