I recently met with an excellent group of local volunteers at Barry Coastguard, who carry out some vital work protecting people along our coastline, at one of their recruitment events. It was a real pleasure to learn more about their work and ongoing issues that they are striving to tackle.
This summer we’ve been blessed with excellent weather and with many using the opportunity to visit the coast, the Coastguard are dealing with a spike in call outs. We are incredibly fortunate here in the Vale that we have such a quick responding team to help those in distress and I want to pay tribute to the fantastic work that they carry out to keep people safe at sea.
While it’s great that so many people are taking advantage of the sunshine, it’s so important that people are safe when they visit the coast and enter the sea.
At Rhoose Point old quarry there have been particular issues with ‘tombstoning’, where people have been jumping from rocks of significant height into the sea. This has been a major cause for concern to the Coastguard who have put out warnings to anyone intending to engage with the activity. They have warned that anyone who is caught tombstoning risks facing a fine of up to £500. There is also the more serious risk of serious injury or death. Sadly, at Rhoose Point, there have already been incidents in recent times where serious injury has been caused as a result of tombstoning.
The Coastguard is key to ensuring safety along our coastlines, especially at this time of year. With the increase in visitors to the coast, they have already been experiencing an increase in incidents to respond to. Therefore, it’s important that people recognise the dangers involved when visiting the coast so that preventable incidents are avoided.
For those who are interested in learning more about Barry Coastguard or want to apply for a position within this vital organisation, they are currently looking to welcome new members to their team. You can contact them through their Facebook page for more information.